Introduction

The COVID-19 pandemic has challenged health care professionals and changed our approach to care delivery. The aim in this study was to explore nurses’ experiences providing care in the ED during the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia and the impact of this on ED team functioning.

Methods

A qualitative explorative descriptive study was conducted using thematic analysis strategies. Participants comprised: Registered Nurses (n = 18) working in clinical roles in the Emergency Department and Leadership Registered Nurses (n = 6) within the organisation. One on one interviews (n = 21) and one focus group interview were conducted utilising semi-structured, conversational style, in-depth interviews between January 2022 and April 2022.

Results

Two major themes were identified that described the impact on ED team dynamics and longer-term impacts on the ED nursing workforce. The first major theme was: ‘Changed Emergency Department team identity and dynamics’ and included four sub-themes: i) PPE is a barrier to team camaraderie; ii) outsiders versus insiders – ambivalence to PPE spotter role; iii) personal safety comes first in a pandemic; and iv) using PPE depersonalises the whole patient experience. The second major theme was: ‘This pandemic caught everyone off guard’ and had three sub-themes. The associated sub-themes were: i) People outside ED have no understanding of what it has been like; ii) COVID-19 is here to stay - Permanent changes to care delivery and nursing practice; and iii) tenacity of a true profession.

Conclusions

Study findings illuminated the dynamics and functionality of ED nursing, encompassing the unique qualities of camaraderie, autonomy, resilience and tenacity.

中文翻译：

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COVID-19 大流行对澳大利亚急诊科团队动态和劳动力可持续性的影响。定性研究

介绍

COVID-19 大流行给医疗保健专业人员带来了挑战，并改变了我们提供医疗服务的方法。本研究的目的是探讨澳大利亚 COVID-19 大流行期间护士在急诊室提供护理的经验以及这对急诊室团队运作的影响。

方法

使用主题分析策略进行了定性探索性描述性研究。参与者包括： 在急诊科从事临床工作的注册护士（ n = 18）和 组织内的领导注册护士（ n = 6）。 2022 年 1 月至 2022 年 4 月期间，采用半结构化、对话式的深度访谈进行了一对一访谈（n = 21）和一次焦点小组访谈。

结果

确定了两个主要主题，描述了对急诊团队动态的影响以及对急诊护理人员的长期影响。第一个主要主题是：“改变急诊科团队的身份和动态”，包括四个子主题：i）个人防护装备是团队友情的障碍；ii) 外部人员与内部人员——对个人防护装备观察员角色的矛盾心理；iii) 在大流行期间，人身安全是第一位的；iv) 使用个人防护装备会降低整个患者体验的个性化。第二个主题是：“这场大流行让每个人都措手不及”，并有三个子主题。相关的子主题是：i ) ED 以外的人不了解它是什么样的；ii) COVID-19 将会持续存在——护理服务和护理实践将发生永久性改变；iii) 真正职业的坚韧。

结论

研究结果阐明了急诊护理的动态和功能，包括友情、自主性、韧性和坚韧的独特品质。