Contexts of infection of nurses by SARS-COV-2, during the pandemic

Abstract

Introduction: The infection of nurses during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic involved multifactorial causes and consequences. Objective: To unveil the initial variables in the process of infection of nurses by SARS-CoV-2, in their personal discursive and reflective perception. Material and Methods: A cross-sectional, exploratory, and qualitative study, with the content analysis of data from 33 questionnaires, applied to a sample of Portuguese nurses infected and confined by SARS-CoV-2. Results: From the analysis of the discursive components, a Categorical Tree emerged with 3 generations of categories as follows: 1st global category: “Infection: The Beginning (1.)”, which inserts two 2nd generation categories: “Source of Infection (1.1.)” and “Intricacies of Life (1.2.)”. This one, “Intricacies of Life (1.2.)”, explains the infection variables, through four 3rd generation categories: “Work (1.2.1)”, “Community (1.2.2)”, “House/Family (1.2.3)” and “I don’t know (1.2.4)”. Conclusions: The workplace was mostly identified as a source of Infection (69.7%), either through confirmed patients (36.4%) or through the application of nursing care practices (24.2%). Further qualitative studies are proposed, based on the experiences.