Nurses' perception of ethical challenges in caring for patients with COVID-19: a qualitative analysis

Nurses face several challenges in providing care for patients with coronavirus disease in 2019 (COVID-19) The study aimed to explain the nurses' perception of ethical challenges in this regard The qualitative study was carried out using a content analysis method Individual and semi-structured interviews were conducted with 24 nurses Inductive content analysis was used to categorize the data Nurses' narratives indicated that ethical challenges in caring for patients with COVID-19 included threats to professional values and the absence of a holistic COVID-19 care approach The first category was subcategorized into the risk of declining quality of patient care and a stigmatized public image about COVID-19 care The second category was divided into poor spiritual care, poor compassionate care, and lack of family-centered care Health care managers must develop protocols for nurses that address these issues to alleviate the ethical challenges of COVID-19 care