AimTo explore the perspectives of nurse educators, clinical nurse educators and nurse specialists with regard to supporting the deployed registered nurses in Australian intensive care units during the COVID‐19 pandemic surge.DesignA qualitative‐descriptive study design was used.MethodsIntensive care nurse educators, clinical nurse educators and nurse specialists who had been involved with the preparation and support of nurses for deployment to intensive care units for COVID‐19 surge were purposively recruited from around Australia. Data were collected through 18 semi‐structured interviews and examined using thematic framework analysis of NVivo software.ResultsParticipants described a number of challenges related to surge deployment including the varied skill sets and inadequate preparation for deployed staff, lack of a clear scope of practice and their general reluctance to deploy to intensive care units. Mixed communication from hospital managers about the mandatory or voluntary nature of deployments and the plans for return of nurses to their usual place of work were also considered problematic. Conversely, factors that supported effective deployment included consistently deploying the same staff, scope of practice guides, task cards and colour coding to identify the experience of nurses. The burden of the pandemic, including variable waves of surge, infection control complexities and fear of caring for patients with COVID‐19, influenced the participants' experiences and perspectives. Additionally, there was a significant personal toll for participants because of the increased load of supervising deployed staff and concerns related to accountability for nursing care, and personal and patient safety.ConclusionThe deployment of nursing staff to intensive care units to support increased patient numbers is necessary during surge events. Having clarity about what role those nurses perform within intensive care units is essential in order to design training and support strategies that prepare them adequately so as not to place undue burden on an already strained intensive care nursing workforce.Implications for the ProfessionThe toll of the COVID pandemic on ICU nurses was immense. This was further compounded by inadequate preparation and the strain of supporting deployed nurses in surged intensive care units.ImpactThis research outlines the lessons learned from deploying nurses into surged intensive care units in the Australian setting. Supporting deployed nurses places a significant burden on the intensive care team; this is heavier when there is uncertainty about the scope of deployed staff and accountability for patient safety. These findings contribute to the body of evidence that will assist in for planning more effective deployment strategies for future intensive care surge events.Reporting MethodReporting complied with the COREQ criteria for qualitative research.Patient or Public ContributionThere was no patient or public contribution.

中文翻译：

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在 COVID-19 大流行期间向激增的重症监护病房部署注册护士的经验教训：一项定性研究


目的探讨护士教育者、临床护士教育者和护士专家在 COVID-19 大流行激增期间支持澳大利亚重症监护病房部署的注册护士的观点。设计使用定性-描述性研究设计。方法有目的地从澳大利亚各地招募了参与准备和支持护士部署到 COVID-19 激增重症监护病房的重症监护护士教育者、临床护士教育者和护士专家。通过 18 次半结构化访谈收集数据，并使用 NVivo 软件的主题框架分析进行检查。结果参与者描述了与激增部署相关的许多挑战，包括不同的技能组合和对部署人员的准备不足、缺乏明确的实践范围以及他们普遍不愿意部署到重症监护病房。医院管理人员关于部署的强制性或自愿性以及护士返回其通常工作地点的计划进行的混合沟通也被认为是有问题的。相反，支持有效部署的因素包括持续部署相同的员工、实践指南的范围、任务卡和颜色编码，以确定护士的经验。大流行的负担，包括多变的激增浪潮、感染控制的复杂性和对照顾 COVID-19 患者的恐惧，影响了参与者的经历和观点。此外，由于监督部署人员的负担增加，以及与护理问责制以及个人和患者安全相关的担忧，参与者也付出了巨大的个人代价。结论在激增事件期间，有必要将护理人员部署到重症监护病房以支持增加的患者数量。明确这些护士在重症监护病房中扮演的角色对于设计培训和支持策略至关重要，这些策略使他们做好充分准备，以免给已经紧张的重症监护护理人员带来不必要的负担。对职业的影响COVID 大流行对 ICU 护士造成的损失是巨大的。由于准备不足以及在激增的重症监护病房中支持部署的护士的压力，情况进一步加剧了这种情况。影响这项研究概述了在澳大利亚环境中将护士部署到激增的重症监护病房中吸取的经验教训。支持部署的护士会给重症监护团队带来沉重的负担;当部署人员的范围和患者安全责任存在不确定性时，这种情况会更严重。这些发现有助于为未来的重症监护激增事件规划更有效的部署策略。报告方法报告符合定性研究的 COREQ 标准。患者或公众贡献没有患者或公众的贡献。