Abstract
Background: Professional nurses typically promote and advocate self-care practices to their
patients to achieve better health outcomes, but rarely engage in these practices themselves.
Methods: A qualitative, descriptive phenomenological approach was used in this study. Ten
professional nurses employed in different primary health care facilities were purposively
sampled. Semi-structured interviews were conducted to collect data, which were analysed
using Colaizzi’s data analysis strategy, and data saturation was reached.
Results: Two themes were identified. Theme 1: the participants expressed that internal and
external factors compromised self-care practices, such as subconscious self-neglect,
insufficient resources, and a depressed economy, which encouraged them to work extended
hours. Theme 2: participants’ holistic well-being was compromised, as they neglected their
mental well-being.
Conclusion: Self-care practices among professional nurses seem unachievable. The extent of
this population’s self-care neglect was evident during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)
pandemic when professional nurses globally gave of themselves relentlessly.
Contribution: This is the first study conducted on the topic in the City of Ekurhuleni, and the
findings will provide relevant stakeholders with a directive on what strategies, policies, and
guidelines to develop and implement to make self-care practices attainable for professional
nurses.