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Background: During the COVID‐19 pandemic, intensive care units (ICUs) were under heavy pressure, with a significantly increased number of severely ill patients. Hospitals introduced restrictions, and families could not visit their ill and dying family members. Patients were cared for without privacy, and several died in shared patient rooms, leaving the intensive care nurse to protect the patient's need for loving care in a vulnerable situation at the end of life. Aim: This study aimed to investigate how piloting and watch over were revealed in end‐of‐life care for patients with COVID‐19 in intensive care COVID‐19. Study Design: A qualitative study was conducted with an abductive approach was conducted. Data were collected via semi‐structured interviews to cover the research area while allowing the informant to talk freely about the topic; 11 informants were interviewed. Results: The findings are presented based on four categories: The road to the decision, End‐of‐life care, Farewell of close family members and Closure. Each category and subcategory reveal how piloting and watch over were addressed in the end‐of‐life care of patients with COVID‐19 in the ICU during the pandemic. Overall findings indicated that workload and organization of care directly affect the quality of care given, the acceptance of privacy and the possibility of dignified end‐of‐life care. Conclusions: Workload directly affects the quality of care, risking dehumanization of the patient. Visiting restrictions hindered supporting family members through the various piloting phases. Visiting restrictions also forced the ICU nurses to take on the role of the relative in watching over the patient. Relevance to Clinical Practice: Collaboration with family members is essential for the intensive care nurse to be able to provide a person‐centred and dignified end‐of‐life care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The transfer from an intensive care unit (ICU) to a regular ward often causes confusion and stress for patients and family members. However, little is known about the patients' perspective on preparing for the transfer. Aim: The purpose of the study was to describe patients' experiences of preparing for transfer from an ICU to a ward. Study Design: Individual interviews with 14 former ICU patients from three urban hospitals in Stockholm, Sweden were conducted 3 months after hospital discharge. Qualitative content analysis was used to interpret the interview transcripts. Reporting followed the consolidated criteria for reporting qualitative research checklist. Results: The results showed that the three categories, the discharge decision, patient involvement, and practical preparations were central to the patients' experiences of preparing for the transition from the intensive care unit to the ward. The discharge decision was associated with a sense of relief, but also worry about what would happen on the ward. The patients felt that they were not involved in the decision about the discharge or the planning of their health care. To handle the situation, patients needed information about planned care and treatment. However, the information was often sparse, delivered from a clinician's perspective, and therefore not much help in preparing for transfer. Conclusions: ICU patients experienced that they were neither involved in the process of forthcoming care nor adequately prepared for the transfer to the ward. Relevant and comprehensible information and sufficient time to prepare were needed to reduce stress and promote efficient recovery. Relevance to Clinical Practice: The study suggests that current transfer strategies are not optimal, and a more person‐centred discharge procedure would be beneficial to support patients and family members in the transition from the ICU to the ward. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]