Confronting the unknown—Nursing surveillance of COVID-19-infected patients through remote telephone calls and in an on-site urgent clinic

• Published in: Journal of Advanced Nursing
• Main Authors: Blöndal, Katrín, Sverrisdóttir, Sólveig H., Hafberg, Anna, Ragnarsdóttir, Erla Dögg, Ingadóttir, Brynja, Hafsteinsdóttir, Elín J.G., Zoëga, Sigríður, Jónsdóttir, Helga
• Other Authors: Other departments, Internal Medicine and Emergency Services, Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery, Perioperative Services, Office of Division of Clinical Services I
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: 2022
• Subjects: Hjúkrun langveikra fullorðinna; Bráðahjúkrun; Hjúkrun aðgerðasjúklinga; ambulatory care; Coronavirus disease 2019; COVID-19; nursing; outpatient clinics; pandemics; qualitative research; telemedicine; triage; urgent care; Nursing (all); Pálsson; Drífa; Iceland
• Online Access: https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11815/3954; https://doi.org/10.1111/jan.15355

Funding Information: University of Iceland Research Fund. We wish to thank Runólfur Pálsson, MD, Professor and Director of Internal Medicine and Rehabilitation Services, Sigríður Gunnarsdóttir, Chief Nursing Officer for support in conducting this study, Drífa Katrín Guðmundsdóttir Blöndal and Stefanía Bergsdóttir for transcribing the interviews and giving an insightful view on the data analysis and Ásvaldur Kristjánsson for assistance with conducting the focus group interviews. Publisher Copyright: © 2022 The Authors. Journal of Advanced Nursing published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd. Aim: To describe nursing surveillance of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)-infected patients through remote telephone calls and in an on-site urgent clinic during the first wave of the pandemic as experienced by nurses providing the care. Design: Qualitative descriptive study. Methods: Data were collected through seven semi-structured, audio-recorded, focus group interviews with 24 nurses. Interviews were conducted in May and June 2020, transcribed and analysed using deductive and inductive content analysis into an overarching category, main categories and subcategories. Reporting followed the COREQ guidelines. Results: Nurses relied on intensive listening when assessing and caring for COVID-19-infected patients. They realized that the patients had complex needs for nursing and healthcare which was beyond the scope of a tentatively prescribed assessment scheme. They designed their care to ensure holistic care, reflected in the overarching category, ‘Confronting an unfamiliar health condition in unprecedented circumstances’ and the categories: ‘Digging into the unknown’ and ‘Ensuring holistic nursing care’. The category ‘Contributing to averting catastrophe’ reflects the wealth of knowledge, support and experience that the nurses used to independently deliver care, albeit in interdisciplinary collaboration, working to their greatest potential. They were proud of the significance of their work. Conclusion: Novel nursing ...