Abstract
AIMS: To explore the experiences of nurse leaders and managers in planning the hospital nursing workforce in accordance with the government-led response to the COVID-19 pandemic in South Korea. DESIGN: Descriptive, qualitative study. METHODS: Semistructured interviews were conducted with 10 participants at three general hospitals in Seoul and Gyeonggi Province from August to October 2022. Eligible participants were nurse leaders and managers who were involved in decision making and management of the nursing workforce for the COVID-19 response or who served on a COVID-19 response team at each study hospital. Data were analysed using inductive content analysis. RESULTS: Four main themes emerged from the interview data, each with subthemes: exacerbated inherent vulnerabilities, highlighting existing nursing shortages and financial constraints; delay to systematic response, with frequent government ad-hoc orders increasing disruptions to on-site operations and inefficiencies of the external workforce; creation of new conflicts, including those related to nursing staff deployment and compensation gaps and demands on new leadership, with the need for effective crisis management and visionary leadership. CONCLUSION: The results indicate that nurse leaders and managers face unexpected challenges in effectively planning their nursing workforce during the pandemic. These challenges are further compounded by centralised ad-hoc government orders that prioritise the urgent demands of COVID-19 patient care, often overlooking the unique needs and circumstances of individual hospitals. IMPACT: There is a need for more flexible and localised workforce planning strategies to better support nurse leaders and managers. Furthermore, ongoing collaboration between healthcare leaders and policymakers is crucial to address the disconnect between centralised government-led responses and hospital-specific needs, which could enhance the resilience of the nursing workforce and improve disaster and emergency preparedness in the future. REPORTING METHOD: COREQ checklist was used. PATIENT OR PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION: No patient or public contribution. Data were obtained from healthcare professionals.