Nurses' Experiences of Caring for Patients With Suspected or Confirmed COVID-19 in the Initial Stage of the Pandemic.

The nurses experienced that many patients worsened clinically, leading to exhausting and difficult nursing care situations. They also experienced increasing responsibility since new protective equipment and procedures needed to be quickly implemented according to frequently changing recommendations, causing the nurses to feel uncertain about how to maintain patient safety. Support from colleagues was crucial to cope throughout the initial stage of the pandemic.