Lived Experiences of ICU Nurses During COVID-19

Abstract

This qualitative, phenomenological study described ICU nurses’ lived experiences caring for patients with COVID-19 while trying to engage in self-care and care for their families. Eleven ICU nurses shared their individual experiences working in a hospital ICU. Watson's theory of Caring Science guided the study to ensure a holistic interpretation of the data. Six themes and fifteen subthemes emerged, which revealed that ICU nurses faced barriers to self-care. The conclusion of the data analysis was that hospital leaders need to make Caring Science evident to ICU nurses during crises by trained Caritas coaches to build resilient frontline nurses through compassion.