LIVED EXPERIENCES OF SAUDI NURSES WORKING WITH COVID-19 PATIENTS: A PHENOMENOLOGICAL INQUIRY

Abstract

Background: Nurses in Saudi Arabia who have worked with COVID-19 patients practice under highly stressful conditions which threaten their health and ability to work. The negative impacts will continue to occur and may result in an unsafe working environment without an understanding of the lived experience of Saudi nurses working in a clinical setting. Purpose: The purpose of this study is to explore the lived experiences of Saudi nurses working with COVID-19 patients. Philosophical Underpinning: A transcendental phenomenological qualitative approach guided by an interpretivist paradigm was engaged to gain an understanding of the lived experiences of Saudi nurses working with COVID-19 patients. Methods: The target population for the study participants was Saudi nurses who work with COVID-19 patients in Al Madinah City, Saudi Arabia. Purposive and snowball sampling was used. Data analysis was guided by Moustakas’ 1994 model of transcendental phenomenology. Results: Four themes emerged from fifteen study participants: Fearing COVID-19, Lacking Resources, Supporting and Encouraging, and Being Socially isolated. Conclusions: This study revealed that Saudi nurses face many challenges while caring for COVID-19 patients. The findings of this study have the potential to assist healthcare institutions in understanding the challenges nurses face while providing care to infected patients. These will enable institutions to devise strategies that effectively tackle these challenges and enhance the overall quality of patient care.