Rehabilitation Specialty Hospital Conversion to Support a COVID-19 Pandemic Surge: Nurses' Perceptions.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to understand the novel experience of a rehabilitation specialty hospital conversion to acute medical/COVID-19 patient care from the perspective of rehabilitation nurses.

Design: A descriptive qualitative study was conducted.

Methods: Thirty-six nurses employed by the rehabilitation specialty hospital were invited to participate. Narrative data were collected via an online survey and were analyzed using a conventional content analysis approach.

Results: Fifteen (42%) of those eligible participated. The overarching descriptor of the rehabilitation nurses' experiences was "we did what we had to do." Three primary descriptors emerged: challenged, conflicted, and compromised. Communication from leadership prominently informed the conversion experience.

Clinical relevance to the practice of rehabilitation nursing: Expecting rehabilitation specialty nurses to care for a different patient population is an important consideration and requires leadership to understand the distinctive characteristics of the specialty and its approach to care.

Conclusions: Addressing the impact on nursing staff in any disaster requires listening and communicating to provide needed support. Recognizing the characteristics of nursing specialties, the need for self-care among nursing staff and the salience of effective communication are essential during specialty hospital conversions.