Redeployment to critical care during the COVID 19 pandemic: A phenomenological study

Background: The redeployment of staff which involves moving staff from one clinical setting to another is a key feature of health care management. Rising demand associated with chronic disease and seasonal variation makes redeployment increasingly commonplace. During the COVID-19 pandemic preparation for the influx of patients included sourcing equipment and resources and the redeployment of staff to respiratory wards and critical care. Aim: The aim of this study was to explore the lived experience of redeployment to critical care during the COVID-19 pandemic from the perspective of those individuals who were moved to help and critical care core staff. 

Study Design: A transcendental phenomenological study involving semi-structured interviews with staff redeployed and critical care core staff was conducted. Data were collected from staff in one critical care department of a large NHS Trust in England between the second and third pandemic wave (April–June 2021). 

Results: Analysis of the data led to the identification of seven meaning units: intention, apprehension, expectations, familiarity, preparation, support, and own work. Intention related to the decisions made by managers regarding whom to redeploy and the reasons why people were chosen. Apprehension and expectations were closely linked and related to critical care skills and knowledge as well as anxiety about infection risk. Familiarity was a key element of people feeling comfortable and the confidence core staff had in colleagues who had come to help. Support and preparation helped but staff were anxious about their own work and concerned about the open-ended nature of redeployment. 

Conclusion: Familiarity and recency of critical care experience played a significant role in how useful redeployed staff were. Redeployed staff were concerned about assumptions being made and expectations of themselves as well as detachment from their usual support network. 

Relevance to Clinical Practice: Continued shortages of registered nurses globally combined with the need to create additional critical care capacity during emergencies such as infection outbreaks means that redeployment of staff will continue for some time. Identifying the impact of redeployment on staff will enable services to better prepare and support registered nurses who are redeployed to critical care.