Experience of middle management nurses during the COVID‐19 pandemic in Switzerland: A qualitative study

Abstract

Aims To explore the experiences of middle management nurses during the COVID‐19 pandemic in Switzerland. Background The outbreak of COVID‐19 has placed extraordinary demands on health care systems worldwide, which were found mostly unprepared. In this situation, middle management nurses played a strategic role because they acted as a link between organizational directives and the clinical practice. Methods This is a qualitative study that used a face‐to‐face interview with semi‐structured questions to learn about the experiences of middle management nurses during the COVID‐19 pandemic. After recruiting participants through purposeful sampling, data were analysed by means of thematic analysis using Nvivo 12. Results In total, 12 middle managers were interviewed. Data analysis identified four macro‐themes—Changes; Conflicting emotions; Relation; Role—and 20 sub‐themes. Conclusion The sudden challenges posed by the pandemic required middle managers to shift their focus from advanced planning to negotiation for meeting the rapidly evolving needs of nursing staff and top management, in order to guarantee the nursing team's well‐being and organizational efficiency. Implications for Nursing Management Lessons learned from the pandemic suggest the need for fine‐tuning organizational models and the importance that nurse middle managers affirm and uphold the core values for nursing and engage patient and staff advocacy.

How Did the Pandemic Affect Communication in Clinical Settings? A Qualitative Study with Critical and Emergency Care Nurses

“…What is sought in qualitative research is depth, and what is fundamental is the quality of the participants’ contributions and the extent to which they help us to understand the phenomenon under study. Other qualitative studies similar to ours (referring to the subjective perspectives of health professionals on the pandemic) have been carried out with a similar number of participants [ 32 , 33 ]. When the phenomenon under study is striking, and the shared experiences are common, saturation is often reached with a small number of interviews, as evidenced in other qualitative studies [ 34 , 35 ].…”

The importance of management in promoting hospital staff's mental well‐being during the COVID‐19 pandemic—A survey

“…It is therefore essential that there is a clear approach to crisis management, and that lessons and experiences are used for future pandemic situations. In addition, it must be taken into consideration that managers themselves are also challenged in times of pandemic (Bianchi et al, 2021 ; Vázquez‐Calatayud et al, 2021 ).…”

“…In this global health emergency, a manager must reinforce and confirm opportunities and meaning in terms of being visible and available, as well as taking care of regular communication and giving a clear sign that staff's well‐being is a priority (Catania et al, 2020 ). Furthermore, it is of utmost importance that staff are encouraged to express their feelings and sources of distress and to openly discuss their experiences and challenges in their care of COVID‐19 patients (Bianchi et al, 2021 ; Labrague, 2021 ). Consequently, when managers prioritize staff's well‐being, their trust in management will increase (Jackson & Nowell, 2021 ; Ness et al, 2021 ; Vázquez‐Calatayud et al, 2021 ).…”

Exploring the challenges of Iranian government hospitals related to Covid-19 pandemic management: a qualitative content analysis research from the nurses perspective

“…Researchers in Iran investigated the challenges faced by ICU nurses while providing treatment for COVID-19 patients: The nurses noted the four following obstacles while providing care for COVID-19 patients, according to a qualitative study: 'Inefficiency of the organization in supporting nurses, ' 'physical exhaustion, ' 'living with uncertainty, ' and 'psychological load of the disease, ' among others [19]. Another study in the switzerland looked at experience of middle management nurses during the covid-19 pandemic, and nurses reported the their experiences throughout the provision of care for covid-19 patients and included four macro-themes of changes, conflicting, emotions, relation [20].…”

“…Nurses have an important role in spreading health institution directions among their colleagues and managing clinical practice nurses. Indeed, their decisions can have a significant impact on clinical nurses' well-being and capacity to work in safe environments, as well as the overall quality of care delivered [20,21]. Due to the high workload and limited workforce, it is essential to identify challenges related to hospitals as a front line in dealing with critically ill patients in the management of the new coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic in the country's medical universities.…”