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| Open-ended question 2: As a charge nurse, is there anything you would do differently, if a similar situation should occur in the future? |
| Category | Illustrative analytic points |
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| Being prepared | (i) The evolving pandemic and the rapidly changing guidelines made the charge nurses feel a step behind things, as leaders. Thus, in a future situation, they wanted to be better at thinking through and planning different scenarios, so they could be ahead of things and reduce stress. |
| (ii) The charge nurses would have liked to be better prepared for virtual communication with relatives, including having the relevant electronic equipment at their disposal |
| (iii) Further use of posters and information pamphlets explaining the restrictions in specific contexts, such as single/multi-bed rooms, intensive care units, wards, or outpatient clinics would have been helpful |
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| Enforcing precise communication and transparent leadership | (i) Some charge nurses reported that it would have been nice if it had been made more clear to the public that the physical surroundings differ among wards, and consequently wards need to have differing restrictions. Highlighting this information might have reduced conflicts with relatives who did not understand the restrictions. |
| (ii) Some charge nurses wondered if an information dissemination task force would have been helpful |
| (iii) To avoid unnecessary issues related to interpreting and acting upon the restrictions, the charge nurses described the need for transparent leadership and communication in the organization, both upwards and downwards |
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| Worrying less when deviating from visitor restrictions | (i) The charge nurses had accepted that, when applying visitor restrictions, “one size does not fit all.” After some time, they worried less about making compromises when balancing rules and humanity. |
| (ii) Some of the charge nurses suggested trusting the frontline nurses’ professional assessments more and using common sense for the sake of the patients |
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