Education and Ethics In Nursing ISSN: 2322-5300

Caring Purgatory: The Ethical Challenges of Nurses Caring for Heart Patients with Coronavirus

https://doi.org/10.22034/ethic.2024.2034147.1067
Volume 13, 1-2
April 2024
Pages 42-51
Education and Ethics In Nursing ISSN: 2322-5300

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

Fatemeh Lohrasbi 1
Farimah Shirani 2
Reyhane Niknejad 3
Mohsen Moradi 4
Jafar Moghadasi 5
mahgol Nasr 6
Azadeh Nouri 7
mohammad akbari 8

1 Assistant Professor, Department of psychiatric nursing, Nursing and Midwifery Research Center, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran

2 Assistant Professor, Department of Psychiatry, Nursing and Midwifery Care Research Center, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran

3 Instructor, Department of Operating Room, Community Health Research Center, Islamic Azad University, Isfahan (Khorasgan) Branch, Iran

4 Instructor, Department of Psychiatry, Nursing Care Research Center, Shahrekord University of Medical Sciences, Shahrekord, Iran

5 Assistant Professor, Department of Adult Health Nursing, Nursing and Midwifery Care Research Center, Shahrekord University of Medical Sciences, Shahrekord, Iran

6 Instructor, Department of Psychiatry, Nursing and Midwifery Care Research Center, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran

7 Assistant Professor, Department of Adult Health Nursing, Nursing and Midwifery Care Research Center, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran

8 Assistant Professor, Department of Psychiatric Nursing, Nursing and Midwifery Care Research Center, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran

Abstract
Introduction:
As the primary caregivers of people with COVID-19, nurses were exposed to the ethical challenges and conflicts of caring for their patients. The simultaneous care of cardiovascular patients with COVID-19 has placed a multiplier burden on the nurses of these patients in terms of care and ethics, which causes burnout and psychological deterioration of these patients. Therefore, this qualitative study was conducted with the aim of understanding the ethical challenges of nurses caring for cardiac patients with COVID-19.
Methods & Materials:
A qualitative study was conducted using qualitative content analysis. The participants were nurses in the intensive care unit and respiratory isolation of patients with COVID-19 in Shahid Dr. Chamran Heart Specialized Hospital in Isfahan. Semi-structured and in-depth interviews were conducted with the participants. The data analysis experiment was performed using Gernheim and Landman's qualitative content analysis method and using MAXQDA20.
Results:
The participants in this study included 10 nurses working in the intensive care unit. A total of 204 primary codes were obtained, which were classified into 8 subcategories and 3 main categories, including "legal care or conscientious care", "myself or my patients", and "cardiac care or COVID care".
Conclusion:
Caring for COVID-19 patients for nurses in cardiac intensive care units was accompanied by the experience of enormous ethical challenges. It is suggested that managers and policymakers in this field try to encourage and strengthen a supportive and ethical work environment to better manage intertwined ethical issues and make the right decisions in the context of the pandemic crisis. Healthcare organizations should prioritize the health of nurses during the pandemic and prevent burnout and maintain the quality of patient care by providing psychological, material, and spiritual support.

Keywords

Ethical Challenges
Nurses
Cardiovascular
COVID-19
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