Abstract
BACKGROUND: When the workload for critical care nurses becomes too high, this can have consequences for both personal health as well as patient care. During the COVID-19 pandemic, critical care nurses were confronted with new and dynamic changes. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to describe the experiences of critical care nurses regarding the ad hoc measures taken and the perceived physical and psychological burden experienced during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study conducted at two hospitals using an online survey. The open questions addressing the challenges faced during the COVID-19 pandemic were subjected to content analysis according to Mayring. RESULTS: A total of 179 critical care nurses participated in the online survey. From the results, the following four categories were developed: "not meeting one's own quality of care requirements," "uncertainties in everyday professional and private life," "increased responsibility with lack of relief," and "insufficient coping strategies for physical and psychological burden." CONCLUSION: Critical care nurses require structures and processes which support them in situations of high workload. The focus should be on the self-imposed requirements of quality of care as well as potentially relieving measures.