Experiences of working as a clinical nurse while pregnant during the coronavirus disease-2019 pandemic: a qualitative study
Abstract Background Working as a pregnant clinical nurse might experience a range of challenges, such as significant anatomical and physiological changes as well as emotional and cognitive changes. That might be particularly obvious under the historical background of coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-...
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| Format: | Article |
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BMC
2025-02-01
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| Series: | BMC Nursing |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12912-025-02764-z |
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| author | Lin Ye Wu Wing Fai Yeung Yao Lin Pei Ling Xi Chen Meng Qi Li Jia Yin Ruan |
| author_facet | Lin Ye Wu Wing Fai Yeung Yao Lin Pei Ling Xi Chen Meng Qi Li Jia Yin Ruan |
| author_sort | Lin Ye Wu |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Background Working as a pregnant clinical nurse might experience a range of challenges, such as significant anatomical and physiological changes as well as emotional and cognitive changes. That might be particularly obvious under the historical background of coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. However, a dearth of studies has explored the experiences of working as a pregnant nurse during this special period. This study aimed to explore the experiences of working as a clinical nurse while pregnant during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods A descriptive qualitative design was selected. Purposive sampling, combined with maximum variation strategy and snowball sampling, were utilized to identify and select participants from tertiary-teaching hospitals, specialized hospitals, and community hospitals in Zhejiang Province, southeastern China. Online semi-structured individual interviews were used to collect data, and conventional content analysis was used to analyze the data. Results Eleven Chinese nurses with a mean age of 31.8 years, ranging from 26 to 40 years, participated in this study. Four themes and twelve subthemes emerged: (1) still adhering to work as a clinical nurse despite being pregnant during the pandemic; (2) working during pregnancy under pandemic is still an ordinary nurse; (3) still staying in the special life phase as a pregnant mother; and (4) growth and gains as pregnant mother. Conclusion The pregnant clinical nurses suffered from various changes and difficulties during the pandemic. Managers, occupational health and other health system leaders, and policymakers should be aware of the importance of establishing a work environment that guarantees safe continued pregnancy. Future studies should focus on the establishment of specific guidelines and manuals regarding how pregnant nurses worked, as well as the development of self-protection interventions during pregnancy. Moreover, research on moral stigma and bullying in nursing during pregnancy deserves further exploration. Clinical trial number Not applicable. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-01b7b3cdfea14f9c92ed2609d18359ca |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1472-6955 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-02-01 |
| publisher | BMC |
| record_format | Article |
| series | BMC Nursing |
| spelling | doaj-art-01b7b3cdfea14f9c92ed2609d18359ca2025-02-09T12:27:17ZengBMCBMC Nursing1472-69552025-02-0124111210.1186/s12912-025-02764-zExperiences of working as a clinical nurse while pregnant during the coronavirus disease-2019 pandemic: a qualitative studyLin Ye Wu0Wing Fai Yeung1Yao Lin Pei2Ling Xi Chen3Meng Qi Li4Jia Yin Ruan5Medical Care Department, Zhejiang HospitalSchool of Nursing, The Hong Kong Polytechnic UniversitySchool of Nursing, The University of Texas at AustinSchool of Nursing, Zhejiang Chinese Medical UniversityKiang Wu Nursing College of MacauSchool of Nursing, The Hong Kong Polytechnic UniversityAbstract Background Working as a pregnant clinical nurse might experience a range of challenges, such as significant anatomical and physiological changes as well as emotional and cognitive changes. That might be particularly obvious under the historical background of coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. However, a dearth of studies has explored the experiences of working as a pregnant nurse during this special period. This study aimed to explore the experiences of working as a clinical nurse while pregnant during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods A descriptive qualitative design was selected. Purposive sampling, combined with maximum variation strategy and snowball sampling, were utilized to identify and select participants from tertiary-teaching hospitals, specialized hospitals, and community hospitals in Zhejiang Province, southeastern China. Online semi-structured individual interviews were used to collect data, and conventional content analysis was used to analyze the data. Results Eleven Chinese nurses with a mean age of 31.8 years, ranging from 26 to 40 years, participated in this study. Four themes and twelve subthemes emerged: (1) still adhering to work as a clinical nurse despite being pregnant during the pandemic; (2) working during pregnancy under pandemic is still an ordinary nurse; (3) still staying in the special life phase as a pregnant mother; and (4) growth and gains as pregnant mother. Conclusion The pregnant clinical nurses suffered from various changes and difficulties during the pandemic. Managers, occupational health and other health system leaders, and policymakers should be aware of the importance of establishing a work environment that guarantees safe continued pregnancy. Future studies should focus on the establishment of specific guidelines and manuals regarding how pregnant nurses worked, as well as the development of self-protection interventions during pregnancy. Moreover, research on moral stigma and bullying in nursing during pregnancy deserves further exploration. Clinical trial number Not applicable.https://doi.org/10.1186/s12912-025-02764-zExperiencesPregnantNurseCOVID-19 pandemicQualitative research |
| spellingShingle | Lin Ye Wu Wing Fai Yeung Yao Lin Pei Ling Xi Chen Meng Qi Li Jia Yin Ruan Experiences of working as a clinical nurse while pregnant during the coronavirus disease-2019 pandemic: a qualitative study BMC Nursing Experiences Pregnant Nurse COVID-19 pandemic Qualitative research |
| title | Experiences of working as a clinical nurse while pregnant during the coronavirus disease-2019 pandemic: a qualitative study |
| title_full | Experiences of working as a clinical nurse while pregnant during the coronavirus disease-2019 pandemic: a qualitative study |
| title_fullStr | Experiences of working as a clinical nurse while pregnant during the coronavirus disease-2019 pandemic: a qualitative study |
| title_full_unstemmed | Experiences of working as a clinical nurse while pregnant during the coronavirus disease-2019 pandemic: a qualitative study |
| title_short | Experiences of working as a clinical nurse while pregnant during the coronavirus disease-2019 pandemic: a qualitative study |
| title_sort | experiences of working as a clinical nurse while pregnant during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic a qualitative study |
| topic | Experiences Pregnant Nurse COVID-19 pandemic Qualitative research |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12912-025-02764-z |
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