Aamodt Ina Thon, Stubberud Dag-Gunnar, Eikeland Anne, Sunde Kristin Westgaard, Petersen Frigg Johanne Jahren, Hammer Sandra Karoliussen, Halvorsen Kristin
Department of Nursing and Health Promotion, Faculty of Health Science, Oslo Metropolitan University, Pb 4 St. Olavs Plass, Oslo, 0130, Norway.
Division of Emergencies and Critical Care, Department of Research and Development, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway.
BMC Nurs. 2025 Mar 4;24(1):242. doi: 10.1186/s12912-025-02872-w.
Critical care nurses (CCNs) role and scope of practice include advanced nursing care for acute and critically ill patients and patients significant others. Before the pandemic, it was well-known that there was a shortage of nurses globally and a need to invest in greater self-sufficiency of nurses. The borders closed at the start of the pandemic in Norway and intensive care units were challenged with increased numbers of seriously ill patients and a shortage of CCNs. This study aimed to explore how CCNs experienced their role and scope of practice during the COVID-19 crisis in Norway.
The study had a descriptive explorative design. Individual semi-structured interviews were conducted with fourteen CCNs working in five intensive care units from four hospitals during the pandemic in Norway. The interviews were analysed using Braun and Clarkes six-phase approach to thematic analysis.
The CCNs described their role and scope of clinical practice with promoting safe critical care nursing, competence in critical care nursing and their moral responsibility during the COVID-19 crisis in Norway. Promoting safe critical care nursing was challenged with. Competence in critical care nursing was useful in caring for patients with COVID-19 and in collaboration with less experienced and allocated healthcare professionals. The moral responsibility of a CCN is to contribute during a national crisis and to promote a patient and family-centred environment.
This study aimed to explore critical care nurses experience of their role and scope of practice when caring for patients with COVID-19 during the pandemic in Norway. The findings revealed a need to acknowledge the unique broad competence and moral responsibility of CCNs in caring for ICU patients when an unknown virus led to the lockdown of a country such as Norway. Moreover, the CCNs role and scope of a wide variety of responsibilities needs to be addressed, and their strong sense of duty needs attention and support. A sustainable qualified critical care workforce should be established and supported to prepare for future global crises.
重症监护护士（CCNs）的角色和执业范围包括为急性和危重症患者及其重要他人提供高级护理服务。在疫情大流行之前，全球护士短缺以及需要投资提高护士的自给自足能力已是众所周知的事情。挪威在疫情开始时关闭了边境，重症监护病房面临着重症患者数量增加和重症监护护士短缺的挑战。本研究旨在探讨挪威重症监护护士在新冠疫情危机期间对其角色和执业范围的体验。
本研究采用描述性探索性设计。在挪威疫情期间，对来自四家医院五个重症监护病房的14名重症监护护士进行了个人半结构化访谈。采用布劳恩和克拉克的六阶段主题分析法对访谈进行分析。
重症监护护士描述了他们在挪威新冠疫情危机期间的角色和临床实践范围，包括促进安全的重症护理、重症护理能力以及他们的道德责任。促进安全的重症护理面临挑战。重症护理能力在护理新冠患者以及与经验不足和调配而来的医护人员协作方面很有用。重症监护护士的道德责任是在国家危机期间做出贡献，并促进以患者和家庭为中心的环境。
本研究旨在探讨挪威疫情期间重症监护护士在护理新冠患者时对其角色和执业范围的体验。研究结果表明，当一种未知病毒导致挪威这样的国家封锁时，需要认识到重症监护护士在护理重症监护病房患者方面独特的广泛能力和道德责任。此外，需要解决重症监护护士广泛的各种职责的角色和范围问题，他们强烈的责任感需要关注和支持。应该建立和支持一支可持续的合格重症护理队伍，为未来的全球危机做好准备。
