Experiences of front‐line nurses combating coronavirus disease‐2019 in China: A qualitative analysis

Objective To explore the experiences of front‐line nurses combating the coronavirus disease‐2019 epidemic. Design and Sample Fifteen front‐line nurses caring for COVID‐19 patients were recruited from two hospitals in Wuhan, China from January 26 to February 5, 2020. Data were collected through semi‐structured individual interviews and analyzed using standard qualitative methods. Results Four theme categories emerged from the data analysis: (a) “Facing tremendous new challenges and danger”; (b) “Strong pressure because of fear of infection, exhaustion by heavy workloads and stress of nursing seriously ill COVID‐19 patients”; (c) “Strong sense of duty and identity as a healthcare provider”; (d) “Rational understanding of the epidemic—the nurses believed that the epidemic would soon be overcome and would like to receive disaster rescue training.” Conclusions Although the intensive rescue work drained front‐line nurses, both physically and emotionally, they showed a spirit of dedication and felt a responsibility to overcome this epidemic. Their experiences provide useful insights into implementing a safer public health emergency rescue system in preparation for future outbreaks of infectious diseases. Specifically, psychological support and humanistic care should be provided to front‐line nurses to maintain their well‐being, and nationwide emergency rescue training and disaster education should be implemented.