Perceptions and experiences of nurses about their performance in the COVID-19 pandemic

Objective: to describe the perception and experiences of nurses about their performance during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: qualitative study with phenomenological approach. Fifteen nurses participated in the study, selected according to an intentional snowball type sample. The data were obtained through semi-structured interviews and the transcribed information was submitted to thematic-category content analysis. Results: from the analysis of the participants’ discourse, the following categories and subcategories emerged: lived experiences (negative states; work organization; team cohesion; challenges and norms and guidelines); adopted strategies (individual; team support; familiar and informative) and future expectations (return to normality; adaptation; personal and professional growth; nursing uncertainty and valorization). Conclusion: from the perceptions and experiences of the nurses of their performance in the COVID-19 pandemic, the negative emotional states, strategies adopted of individual character and future expectations of return to normality are highlighted. Descriptors: Pandemics; Coronavirus Infections; Nurses, Male; Occupational Health. RESUMO Objetivo: descrever a percepção e vivências dos enfermeiros sobre o seu desempenho durante a pandemia da COVID-19. Métodos: estudo qualitativo com abordagem fenomenológica. Participaram do estudo 15 enfermeiros, selecionados de acordo com uma amostra intencional do tipo bola de neve. Os dados foram obtidos através de entrevistas semiestruturadas e a informação transcrita foi submetida à análise de conteúdo temático-categorial. Resultados: da análise do discurso dos participantes, emergiram as seguintes categorias e subcategorias: experiências vivenciadas (estados negativos; organização do trabalho; coesão da equipe; desafios e normas e orientações); estratégias adotadas (individuais; suporte da equipe; familiar e informativo) e expectativas futuras (regresso à normalidade; adaptação; crescimento pessoal e profissional; incerteza e valorização da enfermagem). Conclusão: das percepções e vivências dos enfermeiros do seu desempenho na pandemia COVID-19 salientam-se os estados emocionais negativos, estratégias adotadas de caráter individual e expectativas futuras de regresso à normalidade. Descritores: Pandemias; Infecções por Coronavirus; Enfermeiros; Saúde do Trabalhador. 1Escola Superior de Enfermagem do Porto. Porto, Portugal. 2Universidade do Porto, Faculdade de Psicologia e de Ciências da Educação. Porto, Portugal. 3Agrupamento de Centros de Saúde do Tâmega II Vale do Sousa Sul. Porto, Portugal. 4Unidade de Saúde Pública, Agrupamento de Centros de Saúde do Tâmega II Vale do Sousa Sul. Porto, Portugal. Corresponding author: Elisabete Maria das Neves Borges Escola Superior de Enfermagem do Porto. Rua Dr. António Bernardino de Almeida, 4200-072 – Porto, Portugal. E-mail: elisabete@esenf.pt EDITOR IN CHIEF: Ana Fatima Carvalho Fernandes ASSOCIATE EDITOR: Francisca Diana da Silva Negreiros Elisabete Maria das Neves Borges1 Cristina Maria Leite Queirós2 Maria Rosário Fátima Sousa Pinheiro Vieira3 Antónia Adília Ribeiro Teixeira4 How to cite this article: Borges EMN, Queirós CML, Vieira MRFSP, Teixeira AAR. Perceptions and experiences of nurses about their performance in the COVID-19 pandemic. Rev Rene. 2021;22:e60790. DOI: https://doi.org/10.15253/2175-6783.20212260790 Borges EMN, Queirós CML, Vieira MRFSP, Teixeira AAR Rev Rene. 2021;22:e60790. 2 Introduction In the last decades, the evolution in work contexts is associated with new realities resulting from changes in demographic factors and new technologies(1). However, one of the most recent challenges is related to the appearance of a new strain of coronavirus, the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), responsible for the COVID-19 disease(2) This new virus, for which there is currently no treatment or vaccine available, was first identified in Wuhan, China, in late 2019. In March 2020, it was declared COVID-19 pandemic(3-4) by the World Health Organization (WHO), representing the most important public health problem of the last hundred years(5). The recognition of the vital role of nurses in professional exercise(6), for being at the forefront of COVID-19 has also brought about profound and rapid changes for these professionals(7). These changes are associated with organizational aspects, work-family interaction, telework and increased risks for those working in an emergency context(2,8). Some of the problems already identified in different national and international researches, resulting from COVID-19 in nurses, are associated with increased levels of anxiety, depression and alcohol use, stress and post-traumatic stress, and the association between physical and mental health problems(2,7). This new reality has raised increasing concern in the labor context, especially in terms of mental health(2). However, we believe that the experience lived by nurses in different work contexts will allow a greater knowledge in the scientific field of nursing, specifically about the reality of the impact of this new pandemic, thus contributing to the development of strategies that promote the health of nurses, the quality of care and patient safety. Given the pertinence of the thematic nowadays, this study emerges from the following guiding question: What is the perception and experiences of nurses about their performance in the COVID-19 pandemic? In this way, the objective defined was to describe the nurses’ perception and experiences about their performance during the COVID-19 pandemic.