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Aims Background Design Methods Results Conclusion Relevance to clinical practice This study aimed to understand the dissemination of information relating to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) and its impact on nursing care in the early phase of transmission.COVID‐19 has spread globally, causing an unprecedentedly large number of casualties. Nurses face challenges in dealing with patients with COVID‐19 with limited information about the pathogen.This qualitative study followed the COREQ guidelines.Fifteen nurses were recruited from two university hospitals in South Korea using a snowballing technique for in‐depth interviews in May 2020. All interviews were recorded and transcribed verbatim. Content analysis was performed on the interview data.Two themes emerged: access to COVID‐19 information and the impact of information on nursing care. The categories of access to COVID‐19 information were lack of nursing‐specific information, limited information cascading from top management and confusion due to varying points of view. The categories of the impact of information on nursing care were unprepared management that aggravates exhaustion, lack of personal protective equipment that creates anxiety and being a nurse leader to overcome the pandemic.During a pandemic of emerging infectious diseases, nurses should have access to up‐to‐date information tailored to their working environment. Human resources, material resources and systematic support are needed for nurses who provide care for patients with an infectious disease.A collaborative interprofessional education system for emerging infectious diseases is needed for effective communication and consistent care during a pandemic. Nurse leaders should be prepared to deliver profession‐specific information for standardised care and respond to nursing management needs by using resources and tailoring the workforce. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]