A Study of the Educational Needs of Clinical Nurses Based on the Experiences in Training Programs for Nursing COVID-19 Patients

Purpose: This study aimed to explore the experience of clinical nurses regarding training programs for critically ill patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and their educational needs. Methods: Qualitative data were analyzed using content analysis, and quantitative data were analyzed according to Borich's formula. Data for the study were collected in March 2021 from 16 nurses who had completed a nursing program for critically ill patients with COVID-19 and were working at three hospitals designated for COVID-19. Results: Participants' experiences were classified into three major categories, namely “Participation experiences and perceptions of the training program,” “Recommendations for improving the training program,” and “Perceptions of working in an infectious environment,” and 10 subcategories. According to Borich's formula, the most pressing educational needs in respiratory and non-respiratory nursing, respectively, were for “nursing care for patients on extracorporeal membrane oxygenation” and “application of continuous renal replacement therapy and caring for patients.” Conclusion: To prepare for the periodic emergence of communicable infectious diseases throughout the world and cultivate nursing staff to care for critically ill patients, it is necessary to develop nursing education programs with content corresponding to nurses' needs. This study can be used as base data for cultivating nursing staff for critically ill patients with communicable infectious diseases in keeping with clinical nurses’ educational needs and basic educational materials for nursing students. Trial registration: CRIS, KCT0006359. Registered 20 July 2021 - Retrospectively registered, https://cris.nih.go.kr/cris/