The Work Performance of Infection Control Nurses in General Hospitals during the Early COVID-19 Pandemic

Purpose: This study was conducted to understand the meaning of the work performance of infection control nurses (ICNs) in general hospitals during the early COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: This was a qualitative study to explore and describe the implications of the work performance of ICNs during the early COVID-19 pandemic through a phenomenological approach. One-on-one in-depth interviews were conducted with ICNs who had been working since before the COVID-19 pandemic in the infection control department. Results: The topics brought up by the participants were categorized into five themes. The themes included “confusion caused by the early COVID-19 pandemic,” “exhaustion due to an explosion of work related to COVID-19,” “active response as an ICN,” “emphasis on the importance of infection control,” and “overcoming the early COVID-19 pandemic”. Conclusion: It is necessary to strengthen the competence of ICNs as experts and establish a career management system to overcome the confusion and physical and psychological difficulties experienced by ICNs.