Ethical Challenges Experienced by Physicians and Nurses in Caring for Patients with COVID-19: A Qualitative Study

Background: Emerging COVID-19 pandemic has posed numerous ethical challenges to frontline healthcare professionals. Objectives: This study aimed explain the experienced by physicians and nurses in caring for patients during early phases of pandemic. Methods: qualitative was conducted using content analysis approach. Twenty-two semi-structured in-depth interviews were with 18 working medical centers hospitals public or private sectors, Tehran, capital Iran, from July October 2020. The Graneheim Lundman approach applied analyze data. MAXQDA 10 software used facilitate data process. Results: are categorized into four categories (and 11 subcategories), including poor professional care, preference interests over individual difficult decision-making, moral distress. Most participants non-compassionate lack family-centered being forced choose, emotional anger control coping skills, an undermined climate, fatigue Conclusions: findings indicate attenuation care need develop evidence-based clinical guidelines concerning resulting insights. In addition, devising appropriate interventions is recommended their psycho-emotional support.