Nurse’s experience during COVID-19 epidemic : A descriptive literature review

Abstract: Background: Since December 2019, one month before China's Spring Festival, there had been many cases of pneumonia with unknown etiology in Wuhan, Hubei. The outbreak of the Novel Coronavirus outbreak had brought great challenges to people's lives and public health. Nurses, who directly care for COVID-19 patients on the front line, had played an important role.Aim: To describe nurses’ experience of caring for the patients with COVID-19 during the pandemic.Method: A descriptive literature review was conducted. A total of 11 articles from two databases, PubMed and Cinahl, were included in the study. Descriptive statistics was used to describe and synthesize data.Results: The results of the study were divided into two themes: difficulties in caring for COVID-19 patients and gaining the strength to fight the epidemic which were further divided into eight categories. The eight categories were difficulties from new and unknown environment; the discomfort and stress experienced by nurses; the experience of a nurse not being taken seriously; social stigma; recognition and support from society; self-identification and motivation of nurses; the nurse's self-expressed needs and nurses increased awareness of epidemic prevention.Conclusions: Nurses took care of patients in the context of the COVID-19 epidemic were seen as an unforgettable experience. This study emphasized the difficulties and needs of nurses in caring for patients during the COVID-19. It was hoped that in the future, nursing managers and researchers can listen to the inner needs of nurses and give more encouragement to nurses.Keywords: Nurse, COVID-19, Experience