Background and purpose: In the initial COVID-19 outbreak, nursing staff reportedly experienced high levels of psychological stress. The purpose of this study was to explore the real experience of the first cohort of pediatric fever clinic nurses during the COVID-19 epidemic.
Methods: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with eight nurses who worked in a fever clinic at a children's hospital in China. The interviews were conducted by an experienced and trained interviewer. Qualitative content analysis was used to describe the experiences of the nurses.
Results: Three themes were distilled from the interviews: 1) complex psychological experiences including positive experiences (increased sense of responsibility and honor, gaining the respect and recognition of parents, having a sense of achievement in personal growth) and negative experiences (panic and compulsion, guilt towards their family, antipathy, and dissatisfaction); 2) extreme physical discomfort; and 3) a lack of relevant knowledge.
Implications for practice: The nurses in the pediatric fever clinic experienced various psychological impacts and physiological discomfort. Nursing managers should improve the management of hospital emergency nursing, strengthen the psychological guidance and logistics support of frontline nurses, and provide nurses with the relevant knowledge and skills training. These improvements would support frontline nurses in their work to provide effective patient treatment during the COVID-19 epidemic.
Keywords: COVID-19; fever clinic; pediatric nurse; phenomenological study.
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