A qualitative descriptive study of the contextual factors influencing the practice of emergency nurses in managing emerging infectious diseases

Abstract

Purpose : Emergency nurses are engaged in the management of epidemic events that unfold along with the evolution of diseases. The goal of this study was to explore the contextual factors that inhibited the ability of emergency nurses to perform their duties in response to an outbreak. Methods : A qualitative descriptive design was used to explore the experiences and perceptions of emergency nurses. Participants were purposively recruited from 12 emergency departments in Hong Kong. Semi-structured face-to-face individual interviews were conducted with 26 emergency nurses. The audio-recorded interviews were transcribed verbatim and interpreted with a thematic analysis approach. Results : Four intertwined themes emerged from the analysis: resource constraints, threats of infection, ubiquitous changes and lingering uncertainties. These themes portrayed the constraints and challenges surrounding the work environment of emergency nurses. Conclusion : This study described the instabilities and vulnerabilities of the circumstances in which the emergency nurses were situated in during epidemic events. The findings shed light on the importance of hospitals and emergency departments in addressing both the technical problems and adaptive challenges that face emergency nurses during epidemic events.

Emergency nurses’ perceptions regarding the risks appraisal of the threat of the emerging infectious disease situation in emergency departments

“…The present study is part of a PhD project regarding the understanding of how emergency nurses are involved in the management of epidemic events. The larger project has generated publications about how emergency nurses perceive their roles and responsibilities during an epidemic event (Lam et al, 2019a) and the contextual factors influencing the practice of emergency nurses in managing emerging infectious diseases (Lam et al, 2019b).…”

“…This task involves offering appropriate quarantine arrangements for suspected and confirmed patients in ED and allocating potential infectious patients to appropriate destinations and specialities (Lam & Hung, 2013). Such participations of emergency nurses in the management of EIDs are considered of vital importance for minimizing the risk of disease transmission among patients, staff, visitors, and communities (Lam, Kwong, Hung, Pang, & Chien, 2019b).…”

Investigating the Strategies Adopted by Emergency Nurses to Address Uncertainty and Change in the Event of Emerging Infectious Diseases: A Grounded Theory Study

“…Therefore, emergency nurses are often at the forefront of an outbreak response [5]. Indeed, emergency nurses have various duties during the management of an epidemic event, such as the early recognition of suspected or infected patients, implementation of proper infection control measures and coordination of patient logistics [6].…”

Impact of COVID-19 on psychology of nurses working in the emergency and fever outpatient:A cross-sectional survey

“…Nurses serve as an important force in the fight against the epidemic, and they are under the highest pressure of all medical workers [12,15].In order to reduce human-to-human transmission in hospitals, many Chinese hospitals have closed some outpatient clinics, only keeping emergency and fever clinic open to receive patients, and EFO nurses act as gatekeepers to the health care system, identifying suspected and confirmed patients by carefully evaluating their clinical manifestations, contact history, and travel history. They are critical to control transmission among patients, staff, visitors, and the community [16]. EFO nurses are most likely to come into contact with suspected patients, which leads to high risk of exposure.…”