Intensive care nurses’ experiences of Covid-19 care : A practical and ethical challenge – a qualitative descriptive design

The Covid-19 pandemic has generated new experiences of intensive care. It has entailed new working methods, treatment strategies,and ethical dilemmas. The aim of this study was to describe intensive care nurses’ experiences of Covid-19 care and itsethical challenges. Data collection consisted of 11 individual semi-structured interviews and a qualitative content analysis wasused. The COREQ checklist was followed. Three main themes emerged: to meet Covid-19 patients’ needs for specifically tailoredintensive care; to have a changed approach to the excluded relatives is unethical, but defensible; and to strive to protectethical values needs to be considered as good enough. In conclusion, ICU nurses shouldered a heavy burden in taking responsibilityfor the safety of these patients, continuously learning about new treatment strategies. Caring for Covid-19 patients was tostrive to make the best of the situation.