COVID-19 Experiences of Turkish Intensive Care Nurses: A Qualitative Study

Objective:Nurses are at the forefront of the fight against the pandemic. This study was conducted to reveal the experiences, problems, motivation and support resources of intensive care nurses in the first period of the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.Materials and Methods:The research is a descriptive qualitative study. The sample of the study consisted of 12 intensive care nurses working in the intensive care unit of a state hospital in İzmir and caring for patients infected with COVID-19 virus.Results:Main themes (sub-themes); emotions (worry/anxiety), difficulties in patient care (aspiration, intubation), measures taken by nurses (internal isolation), effects of the pandemic on intensive care nurses (physical; back pain, psychological; sleep problems, social; exclusion), support and motivation sources of nurses (teammates support), positive contributions of the pandemic process (crisis management).Conclusion:Intensive care nurses experienced physical, psychological and social problems during the pandemic period. In this process, it was determined that they tried to strengthen with support resources and gained skills in crisis management

Experiences of family caregivers of cancer patients receiving chemotherapy

Background: Cancer is a disease which affects not only patients but also their families physically and emotionally. The purpose of this study was to determine the needs, challenges and ways of coping of caregivers of cancer patients. Materials and Methods: In the study, a phenomenological approach was used. Data were collected through semi-structured individual interviews. The study sample comprised 16 family members providing care for a cancer patient. Results: The study findings are grouped under four main themes: the impact of caregiving, masking feelings, experienced challenges and expectations, and coping. During the caregiving process, patient relatives are affected physiologically, psychologically and socially. It was determined that patient relatives hid their feelings and avoided talking about the disease for fear that they might upset the patient, and that they had difficulty in coping with the patient's reactions during the treatment process. Family members had difficulties arising from the health system, hospital conditions and treatment in addition to transportation and financial problems. Support is very important in coping, but it was determined that some of the relatives of patients did not receive adequate support. Patient relatives expect that health care professionals should provide them with more information about their patient's condition and the course of the disease that their patients should be dealt with by the physicians specialized in cancer, and that psychological support should be provided both for them and for their patient. Conclusions: During the caregiving process, family members are faced with many difficulties and they exhibit different coping behaviors which health care professionals should take into account