Nursing Strategies to Safeguard COVID-19 Patients From Harm in the Intensive Care Unit

The aim of this article is to identify quality improvement nursing strategies that have been implemented to safeguard COVID-19 patients from harm while being cared for in the intensive care unit (ICU). This article incorporates a literature review on the experiences of nurses working at a large urban teaching hospital in the areas of critical care, quality, safety, and regulatory. As leaders in the delivery of health care, nurses have always pioneered innovative ways to deliver care despite difficult circumstances. COVID-19 is a novel viral disease with many unknowns, and it required nurses to integrate innovative approaches with evidence-based practice in order to meet the needs of the patient and to ensure patient safety. While in the critical care setting, COVID-19 patients are at an increased risk for various hospital-acquired injuries, threats to personal safety, and decline in mental health. Through ingenuity and adaptability, successful nursing strategies have been identified in the delivery of quality, evidence-based nursing care to safeguard the vulnerable COVID-19 patient population from harm while in the ICU.