Stress perceptions of nurses serving in home healthcare services during the COVID-19 pandemic: A qualitative research

Abstract

Objective: To investigate the stress perceptions of nurses serving in home healthcare services during COVID-19.Methods: This study was qualitative research with a phenomenological design. Data were collected and recorded through in-depth interviews with 6 nurses working in Mus State Hospital, Home Healthcare Services Unit using a form consisting of 12 questions on an online platform between May 2021 and July 2021. The audio recordings were transcribed by the researcher and content analysis was performed by creating codes, categories, and themes.Results: The interviews yielded 10 categories and 59 sub-codes. These codes were addressed under the theme of COVID-19 pandemic. Under this main theme, nurses expressed the problems they experienced in issues such as stress, support mechanisms, and family and social problems during COVID-19. They mentioned that they experienced high stress in this process, as well as social isolation and negative thoughts of society about them and that they could not spare time for themselves and their families.Conclusions: Nurses working in home healthcare services frequently express negativities such as high stress, isolation from society, and increased workload. Therefore, actions should be taken to raise awareness of society on these issues, increase the number of personnel, conduct more research, and share the results with the public.