Nurses Response to the Physical and Psycho-Social Care Needs of Patients with COVID-19: A Mixed-Methods Study

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic heavily impacted nursing care. This study aimed to understand which nursing interventions were instrumental in responding to COVID-19 patients’ needs by exploring the experiences of patients and nurses. In this mixed-method study with an explanatory sequential design, we involved nurses caring for COVID-19 patients in intensive and sub-intensive care units and patients. In the first phase, we collected data through a survey that assessed patients’ needs from the perspective of nurses and patients, as well as patient satisfaction. In the second phase, qualitative data were collected through interviews with patients and nurses. In the third phase, we extracted quantitative data from patients’ records. Our sample included 100 nurses, 59 patients, 15 patient records, and 31 interviews (15 patients, 16 nurses). The results from the first phase showed patients and nurses agreed on the most important difficulties: “breathing”, “sleep/rest”, and “communication”. Nursing care was rated positively by 90% of the patients. In the second phase, four themes were identified through the patients’ interviews: “my problems”, “my emotions”, “helpful factors”, and “nursing care”. Five themes were identified through the nurses’ interviews: “the context”, “nurses’ experiences and emotions”, “facilitators and barriers to patient care”, “nursing care”, and “the professional role”. From the third phase, the analysis of the clinical documentation, it was not possible to understand the nursing care model used by the nurses. In conclusion, nurses adopted a reactive-adaptive approach, based on experience/knowledge, pursuing generalized objectives, and adapting their response to the clinical evolution. In difficult contexts, nursing care requires a constant competent technical-relational presence at the patient’s bedside.

“The Right to Our Own Body Is Over”: Justifications of COVID-19 Vaccine Opponents on Israeli Social Media

“…As for the focus on the COVID-19 vaccines, although the pandemic is officially over, it is essential not to forget the lessons that can be learned from it for similar future cases [21]. Studies have shown that anti-vaccine posts on social media may facilitate anti-vaccination behavior [19] and that tendencies of vaccine hesitancy and rejection are related to belief in conspiracy theories [8,22,23]. These aspects, along with the prevalent use of vaccine opponents in social media platforms to share their worldviews [12], indicate the importance of studying the characteristics of the discourse in these platforms.…”