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South Korean Nurses’ Experiences with Patient Care at a COVID-19-Designated Hospital: Growth after the Frontline Battle against an Infectious Disease Pandemic

Author

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  • Nayoon Lee

    (College of Nursing, Catholic University of Pusan, Busan 46252, Korea)

  • Hyun-Ju Lee

    (College of Nursing, Catholic University of Pusan, Busan 46252, Korea)

Abstract

COVID-19 is a respiratory disease caused by a novel coronavirus that quickly spread worldwide, resulting in a global pandemic. Healthcare professionals coming into close contact with COVID-19 patients experience mental health issues, including stress, depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, and burnout. This study aimed to explore the experiences of COVID-19-designated hospital nurses in South Korea who provided care for patients based on their lived experiences. Eighteen nurses working in a COVID-19-designated hospital completed in-depth individual telephone interviews between July and September 2020, and the data were analyzed using Giorgi’s phenomenological methodology. The essential structure of the phenomenon was growth after the frontline battle against an infectious disease pandemic. Nine themes were identified: Pushed onto the Battlefield Without Any Preparation, Struggling on the Frontline, Altered Daily Life, Low Morale, Unexpectedly Long War, Ambivalence Toward Patients, Forces that Keep Me Going, Giving Meaning to My Work, and Taking Another Step in One’s Growth. The nurses who cared for patients with COVID-19 had both negative and positive experiences, including post-traumatic growth. These findings could be used as basic data for establishing hospital systems and policies to support frontline nurses coping with infectious disease control to increase their adaption and positive experiences.

Suggested Citation

  • Nayoon Lee & Hyun-Ju Lee, 2020. "South Korean Nurses’ Experiences with Patient Care at a COVID-19-Designated Hospital: Growth after the Frontline Battle against an Infectious Disease Pandemic," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(23), pages 1-22, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:17:y:2020:i:23:p:9015-:d:455746
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Lígia Passos & Filipe Prazeres & Andreia Teixeira & Carlos Martins, 2020. "Impact on Mental Health Due to COVID-19 Pandemic: Cross-Sectional Study in Portugal and Brazil," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(18), pages 1-13, September.
    2. Naomi Hlongwane & Sphiwe Madiba, 2020. "Navigating Life with HIV as an Older Adult in South African Communities: A Phenomenological Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(16), pages 1-14, August.
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    Cited by:

    1. Mi-Na Kim & Yang-Sook Yoo & Ok-Hee Cho & Kyung-Hye Hwang, 2022. "Emotional Labor and Burnout of Public Health Nurses during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Mediating Effects of Perceived Health Status and Perceived Organizational Support," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(1), pages 1-12, January.
    2. Glory Makhado & Busisiwe Ntuli & Lindiwe Zungu & Ntevhe Thovhogi & Peter Modupi Mphekgwana & Sogolo Lucky Lebelo & Sphiwe Madiba & Perpetua Modjadji, 2024. "The Wellbeing of Healthcare Workers during COVID-19 Era in Public Primary Health Facilities in Johannesburg, South Africa," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 21(3), pages 1-20, March.
    3. Hye-Young Jang & Jeong-Eun Yang & Yong-Soon Shin, 2022. "A Phenomenological Study of Nurses’ Experience in Caring for COVID-19 Patients," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(5), pages 1-14, March.
    4. Bom-Mi Park & Jiyeon Jung, 2021. "Effects of the Resilience of Nurses in Long-Term Care Hospitals during on Job Stress COVID-19 Pandemic: Mediating Effects of Nursing Professionalism," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(19), pages 1-12, September.
    5. Georgia Libera Finstad & Gabriele Giorgi & Lucrezia Ginevra Lulli & Caterina Pandolfi & Giulia Foti & José M. León-Perez & Francisco J. Cantero-Sánchez & Nicola Mucci, 2021. "Resilience, Coping Strategies and Posttraumatic Growth in the Workplace Following COVID-19: A Narrative Review on the Positive Aspects of Trauma," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(18), pages 1-25, September.
    6. Melanie Schubert & Julia Ludwig & Alice Freiberg & Taurai Monalisa Hahne & Karla Romero Starke & Maria Girbig & Gudrun Faller & Christian Apfelbacher & Olaf von dem Knesebeck & Andreas Seidler, 2021. "Stigmatization from Work-Related COVID-19 Exposure: A Systematic Review with Meta-Analysis," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(12), pages 1-22, June.
    7. Won-Chul Bing & Soo-Jung Kim, 2021. "A Phenomenological Study of Mental Health Enhancement in Taekwondo Training: Application of Catharsis Theory," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(8), pages 1-14, April.
    8. Jinhee Kim & Suhyun Kim, 2021. "Nurses’ Adaptations in Caring for COVID-19 Patients: A Grounded Theory Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(19), pages 1-17, September.
    9. O-Jay B. Jimenez & Sheilla M. Trajera & Gregory S. Ching, 2022. "Providing End-of-Life Care to COVID-19 Patients: The Lived Experiences of ICU Nurses in the Philippines," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(19), pages 1-21, October.
    10. Chan-Young Kwon & Boram Lee & O-Jin Kwon & Myo-Sung Kim & Kyo-Lin Sim & Yung-Hyun Choi, 2021. "Emotional Labor, Burnout, Medical Error, and Turnover Intention among South Korean Nursing Staff in a University Hospital Setting," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(19), pages 1-14, September.

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