Experiences of Emergency Nurses Providing End-of-Life Care During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

AIM: To explore the experiences of emergency nurses providing end-of-life care during the COVID-19 pandemic.

DESIGN

A qualitative descriptive study.

METHODS

Data were collected between May and August 2023. Individual, semi-structured interviews were conducted face to face or by videoconferencing with a purposive and snowballed sample of 11 emergency nurses. Data were analysed using thematic analysis.

RESULTS

There were four main themes identified: (1) Isolation and loneliness that emergency nurses felt when providing end-of-life care throughout COVID-19. (2) Comparison of Care Relating to Communication; whereby emergency nurses compared the provision of end-of-life care before COVID-19 to end-of-life care provided during the pandemic. (3) Frustration and guilt: emergency nurses felt when providing end-of-life care. (4) Teamwork: participants interviewed explored the meaning of having a supportive team when providing end-of-life care.

CONCLUSIONS

This study explores in-depth experiences of emergency nurses providing care to those who were dying during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study identified that emergency nurses were impacted emotionally by providing end-of-life care during the pandemic, and ongoing support is likely to be needed. This study also reinforced the strength of teamwork amongst emergency nurses.

PATIENT OR PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION: No patient or public contribution.