How did nurses cope with the fast, comprehensive organisational changes at Danish hospital wards during the COVID-19 pandemic? An interview study based on nurses' experiences

Patient safety in the pandemic: Experiences of charge nurses

AIM

The aim of this study was to identify charge nurses' experiences ensuring patient safety during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.

METHODS

The research was conducted with charge nurses between July 2021 and February 2022. Research data were collected using a semi-structured interview with two main questions, six sub-questions and an audio recording. Interviews were conducted with 12 charge nurses and lasted ≈30 min. The content analysis method was used to transfer the collected data to written documents and define them to analyse the individual interview data. Content analyses were conducted independently by three different researchers. Inclusion and exclusion criteria for content were established to ensure consistency among all researchers. Researchers independently developed a coding scheme for content analysis based on the research objectives and applied it to the content. Intercoder reliability was assessed with Cohen's kappa coefficient to measure the consistency of coding among researchers.

RESULTS

Three main themes were identified as a result of the content analysis. The themes identified after independent examination by the three researchers were 'ensuring safety and protection', 'sustaining motivation and resilience' and 'organizational restructuring and challenges'.

CONCLUSIONS

This study highlights the challenges faced by charge nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic and their critical role in maintaining patient safety. The findings emphasize the importance of organizational adaptability, continuous motivation and comprehensive risk management strategies. Charge nurses played a key role in enhancing safety measures and fostering a culture of resilience among healthcare staff. Moving forward, these insights should guide health policies and practices to better prepare for future public health crises, ensuring the safety of both patients and staff.

Nurses on shacking ground-A qualitative study of Danish dermatology and allergology nurses' experiences of relocation during the COVID-19 pandemic

AIM

To investigate dermatology and allergology nurses' experiences of relocation from an outpatient clinic to a newly established COVID-19 infectious disease ward.

DESIGN

A phenomenological-hermeneutical approach was applied.

METHODS

Three focus groups with nurses were conducted from June to August 2020. Data were analysed in accordance with Ricoeur's theory of interpretation.

RESULTS

The relocation represented a challenging period that involved uncertainty and evoked feelings of excitement and dedication towards the nursing profession. Nurses felt obligated to help; however, they also experienced that they did not have a say in the relocation. The placement on the infectious disease ward was characterized by adaptations in three areas: unfamiliar working environment, unfamiliar team competencies and inadequate nursing training. E-learning training was experienced as insufficient, as it did not enhance the nurses' specific competencies or confidence in caring for patients with COVID-19.

CONCLUSION

The relocation of nurses from an outpatient clinic to a new COVID-19 infectious disease ward created a dilemma between nurses' sense of duty and their right to self-determination. A prompt relocation into a newly established unfamiliar field caused frustrations because there were no unspoken rules to rely on. Managers should take nurses' experiences and perceptions under careful consideration and strive for more involvement in future scenarios.

PATIENT OR PUBLIC CONTRIBUTIONS

No patient or public contribution.

Frontline nurses' experiences of managing visitor restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic in a Danish university hospital - Lessons learned

BACKGROUND

Worldwide visitor restrictions forced nurses to separate patients from their relatives. However, the experience of implementing shifting restrictions from the frontline nurses' perspectives in a Danish context has yet to be assessed.

AIM

The aim of this descriptive qualitative study was to explore frontline nurses' experiences of managing shifting visitor restrictions in a Danish somatic university hospital during the COVID-19 pandemic.

METHODS

An online questionnaire, including open-ended questions, was developed. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics and content analysis.

FINDINGS

116 nurses from 29 departments participated; they were informed about restrictions primarily by their charge nurses and hospital intranet. Shifting visitor restrictions compelled the nurses to constantly adjust and negotiate their practices. When deciding to suggest deviating from the restrictions, they shared their decision-making with colleagues. Visitor restrictions left the hospital environment quieter, but they also created a lack of overview and predictability, an emotional burden, and a negative impact on the quality of care.

CONCLUSION

Restricting relatives' access challenged the nurses' professional values, and it seems to have affirmed their appreciation of relatives' role as important partners in contemporary hospital-based health care.

Resilience among health care workers while working during a pandemic: A systematic review and meta synthesis of qualitative studies

Background

Aim

Method

Results

Conclusion