What neonatal intensive care nurses have experienced in covid-19 pandemic in Turkey

Abstract

Neonatal intensive care nurses have faced additional difficulties in adapting to a new work environment with a stressful situation brought about by the pandemic. The aim of this study is to evaluate the experiences of nurses working in neonatal intensive care units during the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Experiences were determined using phenomenology, a form of qualitative research. The study involved 14 neonatal intensive care nurses. The data were analyzed on the MAXQDA qualitative data analysis software in accordance with Colaizzi's 7-step method. Four themes were identified after the interviews: the experiences related to working conditions, neonatal care, psychosocial effect, and social life. In addition, 17 subthemes were created. The study revealed that neonatal intensive care nurses experienced physical, psychological, and social difficulties during the COVID-19 pandemic. It is thought that these results have become even more important to reduce the workload of nurses and to increase the quality of nursing care, especially in times of crisis such as pandemics.