The Coronavirus Disease 2019 Pandemic and the Emergency Service in the Perspectives of Nurses Working in Emergency Service: A Photovoice Study

Abstract

Objective: In the study, it was aimed to determine the thoughts of the nurses working in the emergency service about the emergency service before and after the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic. Methods: Sociodemographic data obtained for the study were evaluated using SPSS 20 software. A phenomenological approach was used for the qualitative part. The study was conducted with 51 out of 179 nurses working in the emergency department of a hospital in one of the eastern provinces. Data were collected through focus group interviews and semistructured interview forms using photographs, photovoice, and phenomenological approach. Results: Colaizzi's phenomenological approach was used in the interpretation of the data, and 266 opinions and suggestions were received from the nurses. These are grouped into 4 main and 20 subthemes. The 4 main themes that nurses found about the emergency department during the coronavirus disease 2019 outbreak are as follows: the meaning of working in the emergency department, the meaning of the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic, the meaning of the emergency department before the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic, and the state of the emergency department during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic. Conclusion: Nurses mentioned that the emergency department was busy before the pandemic, that its intensity increased with the pandemic, that Coronavirus Disease 2019 created uncertainty and fear in the first place, but that the emergency department is an important and active clinic. coronavirus disease 2019. The answers given by the emergency staff on the front lines, who are worried about being infected with the virus as well as transmitting the virus to their families, are an expected result. It is thought that the anxiety levels of emergency service workers can be alleviated by planning and implementing special interventions related to stress sources such as working hours and providing adequate physical and medical supplies.