Nursing care challenges for patients suffering from COVID-19 from nurses' perspective in Iran: A descriptive qualitative study

Background: Encountering the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, nurses face many challenges due to various strategies and resources that can compromise the quality of care. This study aimed to identify nursing care challenges for patients with COVID-19 from nurses' viewpoint in Iran. Materials and Methods: This descriptive qualitative study was conducted in one of the main admission centers in Isfahan to treat patients with COVID-19. Data were collected through semi-structured in-depth interviews with 19 nurses from April 2020 to June 2020. The recorded interviews were transcribed and then analyzed through inductive content analysis. Results: The challenges of nursing care for patients infected with COVID-19 from the nurses' viewpoint were categorized into 11 subcategories and four main categories: work overload in disaster (lack of nurses with adequate clinical qualification and restrictions on the compliance of the infection control protocols), immersion in an ocean of psychological and social tensions (personal and family tensions, work environment tensions, perception of organizational injustice, and social stigma), quality of care in fragile condition (self-preservation rather than patient care and contradictory patient care standards), and disaster preparedness, response, and management (passive resource management, information system challenges, and lack of guideline-supported protocols). Conclusions: The findings of this study suggest that policymakers should actively participate in supporting nurses in the form of reducing physical and mental stress in pandemics such as COVID-19. Having the right perception of the challenges nurses face in such crises can contribute to providing patient safety, improving the quality of care, maintaining organizational resources, and properly managing the disaster.