The Live Experiences of Nurses Caring for Patients Diagnosed with COVID-19 Infection in the North West Province

Nurses are the frontline healthcare workers and continue to play a vital role in caring for patients diagnosed with COVID-19 infection. Exploring and describing the experiences of nurses caring for COVID-19 patients are significant to determine what nurses are experiencing physically, psychologically, and socially, in order to help them in improving the quality of patient care. The study aimed to explore and describe the live experiences of the nurses caring for patients diagnosed with COVID-19 infection in the North West Province. A qualitative, descriptive, phenomenological and contextual design was used to collect data. The study used a non-probability sampling approach and purposive sampling technique to select four focus group discussions (FGDs) in this study. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews, and analysis was done using descriptive phenomenological data analysis to develop themes and categories. Measures to ensure the trustworthiness of the study were considered throughout the study. The results indicated nurses’ conceptualisation of COVID-19, nurses’ physical experiences of caring for patients diagnosed with COVID-19 infection, nurses' psychological experiences of caring for patients diagnosed with COVID-19 infection, nurses' social experiences of caring for patients diagnosed with COVID-19 infection, nurses' positive experiences of caring for patients diagnosed with COVID-19 infection, and nurses' experiences of coping when caring for patients diagnosed with COVID-19 infection. The study showed nurses caring for COVID-19 patients to be physically, psychologically, and socially affected by the disease. Therefore, they needed support from the managers, colleagues, family members, and the community.