Healthcare delivery in the shadow of war: The experiences of Turkish nurses providing care to Syrian asylum-seekers

Abstract

The Syrian civil war caused humanitarian tragedy, resulting in significant losses and massive migration movement, significantly impacting nursing services. The purpose of this study was to identify the problems and experiences of nurses who provided care for Syrian asylum seekers in Turkish border hospitals during the war. This phenomenological and qualitative research selected participants with maximum diversity sampling. Interviews were conducted with 68 nurses who provided care and treatment to asylum seekers during the peak of the war. Data analysis identified two main themes and nine sub-themes: language differences, interpreting services, intercultural differences, complex patients, non-compliance with hospital rules, treatment programmes and discharge issues. The nurses experienced both positive and negative emotions during the process. During the Syrian war, patient care issues were identified as being primarily caused by language and cultural differences among asylum seekers and nurses. During this process, nurses who cared for severe injuries and asylum-seekers experienced both positive and negative emotions simultaneously.