Abstract
Both the Hungarian and U.S. public health and care systems were inadequately prepared to manage the COVID-19 pandemic, contributing to significant distress among nurses. The role of geographical, gender, and cultural factors, along with leadership and organizational response during the pandemic between countries, remains underexplored in the literature. Nurses around the world are now more likely than before the pandemic to leave direct patient care roles. Cultural influences and healthcare system structure play crucial roles in shaping nurses' decisions to stay in or leave the profession. To address this research gap, we are using the lens of Hofstede’s Cultural Dimensions Theory to compare and contrast the lived experiences of nurses practicing in the United States and Hungary during the COVID-19 pandemic. Descriptive phenomenological interviews were conducted with a sample of nurses in each of the two countries. Following separate analyses of the interview data using Sundler's thematic analysis framework for descriptive phenomenology, we compared the thematic findings obtained from the two samples. Participants in both samples represented diverse nursing roles in education, hospital care, and outpatient/community health settings, cared for patients across the lifespan and worked in varied geographical regions within the two countries. The interviews were conducted with 30 nurses: 10 from Hungary and 20 from the United States in 2023. Key themes, including "Poor Leadership and Local Management" and "Distress and Emotional Strain," emerged across both countries, linked to cultural dimensions identified in Hofstede’s framework, such as Power Distance and Uncertainty Avoidance. Political influence was frequently cited as a factor that exacerbated workplace chaos, particularly in Hungary, where nurses reported that non-professional political predominance in healthcare led to confusion, unstable protocols, and a breakdown in communication between management and frontline workers. Findings suggest that country-specific cultural factors influenced nurse’s pandemic experiences. Thus, culturally specific organizational responses are critical for nurse retention within countries and worldwide. We recommend enhancing leadership development within context to support nurse retention efforts in both these countries, recognizing the unique challenges posed by each one’s culture and healthcare system.
Sigma Membership
Omicron Upsilon
Type
Poster
Format Type
Text-based Document
Study Design/Type
Phenomenology
Research Approach
Qualitative Research
Keywords:
Workforce, Stress and Coping, Policy Advocacy, COVID-19, Lived Experiences, Cultural Comparison, United States, Hungary
Recommended Citation
Mayer, Kala; Staller, Judit; Bennett, Jo Anne; Balogh, Zoltán; Skibiski, Jeanie; Jeney, Anna; Jo, Soojung; and Reifsnider, Elizabeth, "Exploring Cultural Dimensions of Nurses' Experiences During COVID-19 in the US and Hungary" (2025). International Nursing Research Congress (INRC). 75.
https://www.sigmarepository.org/inrc/2025/posters_2025/75
Conference Name
36th International Nursing Research Congress
Conference Host
Sigma Theta Tau International
Conference Location
Seattle, Washington, USA
Conference Year
2025
Rights Holder
All rights reserved by the author(s) and/or publisher(s) listed in this item record unless relinquished in whole or part by a rights notation or a Creative Commons License present in this item record.
Review Type
Abstract Review Only: Reviewed by Event Host
Acquisition
Proxy-submission
Exploring Cultural Dimensions of Nurses' Experiences During COVID-19 in the US and Hungary
Seattle, Washington, USA
Both the Hungarian and U.S. public health and care systems were inadequately prepared to manage the COVID-19 pandemic, contributing to significant distress among nurses. The role of geographical, gender, and cultural factors, along with leadership and organizational response during the pandemic between countries, remains underexplored in the literature. Nurses around the world are now more likely than before the pandemic to leave direct patient care roles. Cultural influences and healthcare system structure play crucial roles in shaping nurses' decisions to stay in or leave the profession. To address this research gap, we are using the lens of Hofstede’s Cultural Dimensions Theory to compare and contrast the lived experiences of nurses practicing in the United States and Hungary during the COVID-19 pandemic. Descriptive phenomenological interviews were conducted with a sample of nurses in each of the two countries. Following separate analyses of the interview data using Sundler's thematic analysis framework for descriptive phenomenology, we compared the thematic findings obtained from the two samples. Participants in both samples represented diverse nursing roles in education, hospital care, and outpatient/community health settings, cared for patients across the lifespan and worked in varied geographical regions within the two countries. The interviews were conducted with 30 nurses: 10 from Hungary and 20 from the United States in 2023. Key themes, including "Poor Leadership and Local Management" and "Distress and Emotional Strain," emerged across both countries, linked to cultural dimensions identified in Hofstede’s framework, such as Power Distance and Uncertainty Avoidance. Political influence was frequently cited as a factor that exacerbated workplace chaos, particularly in Hungary, where nurses reported that non-professional political predominance in healthcare led to confusion, unstable protocols, and a breakdown in communication between management and frontline workers. Findings suggest that country-specific cultural factors influenced nurse’s pandemic experiences. Thus, culturally specific organizational responses are critical for nurse retention within countries and worldwide. We recommend enhancing leadership development within context to support nurse retention efforts in both these countries, recognizing the unique challenges posed by each one’s culture and healthcare system.
Description
Cultural influences and healthcare system structure play crucial roles in shaping nurses' decisions to stay in or leave the profession. In this presentation, we use the lens of Hofstede’s Cultural Dimensions Theory to compare and contrast the lived experiences of nurses practicing in the United States and Hungary during the COVID-19 pandemic.