Nurses' experiences and emotions in the face of changes caused by the COVID-19 pandemic: a phenomenological study

Introduction: Following the Covid-19 pandemic, healthcare personnel had to face a very difficult period linked to the healthcare emergency, with important repercussions from a professional and personal point of view. These aspects have been explored by numerous researches on an international level, but only a small number of articles have investigated the phenomenon in the Italian context. The aim of this research is to describe the experience of healthcare workers in a Covid ward, exploring their emotional responses. Materials and Methods: The study consists of a qualitative research with a phenomenological approach according to Giorgi. Narrative interviews were used with healthcare workers who worked in a Covid ward at the San Camillo health centre in Turin, a hospital specialising in second level functional recovery and re-education. Results: Through the field research, 12 interviews were collected, involving 9 nurses and 3 social-health workers, working in a ward dedicated to the care of Covid-19 patients. The common themes that emerged concerned: the beginning of the Covid operator's "journey", characterised by a profound change in professional life since the beginning of the pandemic; the whirlwind of emotions and feelings experienced (fear, feeling blocked, annulled, powerless, depersonalised by suits and masks, anguish due to both physical and psychological isolation, etc.); relations with family members and friends; the relationship with the patient's family; relations with the operators' families; the risk of contagion and the fear of infecting oneself and one's loved ones; the group as a handhold for not giving up, as a point of strength, union and trust; the awareness of change with the desire to take one's own life back into one's own hands, taking advantage of the good things this time can give. Conclusions: The research highlights the ability of the operators to identify positive aspects in the experiences lived, the union and trust in the group and the support of the family despite the strong fear of contagion. There are also important suggestions to reinforce strategies for dealing with such health emergencies and the importance for each individual in feeling accompanied throughout the process, in the difficult challenges they face. Keywords: Covid-19, Experiences, Nursing, Narrative, Phenomenological approach.