Nurse Leaders’ Challenges Fighting the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Qualitative Study

Abstract

Nursing leaders play a pivotal role in managing the COVID-19 pandemic. Aiming to describe the challenges of nursing leaders and the solutions implemented to face the coronavirus pandemic in a Brazilian hospital we developed this qualitative study. Six tactical nursing leaders were recruited by convenience and responded via audio recordings to two open-ended questions: 1) What challenges have you experienced and what solutions have you implemented related to physical, human, and technological resources during the COVID-19 pandemic? and 2) What challenges have you experienced and what solutions have you implemented in relation to patient and staff safety during the COVID-19 pandemic? All audio files were transcribed, anony-mized, and analyzed using inductive content analysis. We identified two main categories of challenges: the first, concerning the changes and challenges in the face of an unknown disease; the second category, consisting of an evaluation of the experiences lived by the nursing leaders. Numerous solutions were implemented in response to the challenging scenario. The technical competence and systemic view of nursing leaders were vital to face the challenges and develop solutions to ensure the quality of care provided and the safety of the workforce, patients, and families.