Patient safety in the pandemic: Experiences of charge nurses

Aim: The aim of this study was to identify charge nurses' experiences ensuring patient safety during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Methods: The research was conducted with charge nurses between July 2021 and February 2022. Research data were collected using a semi-structured interview with two main questions, six sub-questions and an audio recording. Interviews were conducted with 12 charge nurses and lasted approximate to 30 min. The content analysis method was used to transfer the collected data to written documents and define them to analyse the individual interview data. Content analyses were conducted independently by three different researchers. Inclusion and exclusion criteria for content were established to ensure consistency among all researchers. Researchers independently developed a coding scheme for content analysis based on the research objectives and applied it to the content. Intercoder reliability was assessed with Cohen's kappa coefficient to measure the consistency of coding among researchers. Results: Three main themes were identified as a result of the content analysis. The themes identified after independent examination by the three researchers were 'ensuring safety and protection', 'sustaining motivation and resilience' and 'organizational restructuring and challenges'. Conclusions: This study highlights the challenges faced by charge nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic and their critical role in maintaining patient safety. The findings emphasize the importance of organizational adaptability, continuous motivation and comprehensive risk management strategies. Charge nurses played a key role in enhancing safety measures and fostering a culture of resilience among healthcare staff. Moving forward, these insights should guide health policies and practices to better prepare for future public health crises, ensuring the safety of both patients and staff.