Communication challenges caused by wearing masks and strategies used by pediatric nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic: A qualitative study.

PURPOSE: The COVID-19 pandemic and the use of facemasks have caused many communication challenges for pediatric nurses. The purpose of this study was to investigate these challenges and the strategies that nurses use to overcome them during the nursing care of sick children.

DESIGN AND METHODS: This was a qualitative study using conventional content analysis. The nurses were selected by purpose-based sampling and interviewed semi-structurally between April and June 2023 at the Children's Educational Therapy Center in Tabriz, Iran. The sample size was determined by the data saturation principle. The report of this research followed the COREQ guidelines.

RESULTS: Twelve nurses were interviewed. The analysis revealed four main categories: "Disturbances in communication", "Disturbances in trust", "Disturbances in providing care", and "Nurses' strategies to mitigate the challenges of mask usage. To solve the challenges caused by the mask, nurses used solutions such as removing the mask and mitigating the adverse effects of mask usage they used. The central theme of the study was "Humanistic care requires trust-based communication".

CONCLUSIONS: This study highlights the communication challenges faced by pediatric nurses due to mask-wearing during the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite these challenges, nurses have developed innovative strategies to improve communication and build trust with their young patients. Further research is needed to evaluate the effectiveness and feasibility of these strategies.

PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS: These strategies can be useful for other nurses who work with children in similar conditions. Further research is needed to evaluate the effectiveness and feasibility of these strategies in different settings and populations.