Nursing care issues for frontline nurses during the covid-19 pandemic
Authors:
J. Kimmerová 1; D. Kimmer 2; V. Tóthová 1; S. Bártlová 1; I. Chloubová 1
Authors‘ workplace:
Jihočeská univerzita v Českých Budějovicích, Zdravotně sociální fakulta
; Ústav ošetřovatelství, porodní asistence a neodkladné péče, Ředitelka: prof. PhDr. Valérie Tóthová, Ph. D.
1; Ústav laboratorní diagnostiky a veřejného zdraví, Ředitel: Mgr. David Kimmer, Ph. D.
2
Published in:
Prakt. Lék. 2022; 102(4): 191-199
Category:
Of different specialties
Overview
Introduction: The philosophy of nursing makes it a member of the helping professions, which by their nature are both mentally and physically demanding. The COVID-19 pandemic showed the importance and necessity of nurses quickly and effectively coping with new and previously almost unimaginable situations. Perhaps due to their heroic efforts during the pandemic, nurses and other healthcare professionals were exposed to difficult and demanding situations, which had to be face daily, with little or no relief.
Aim: This review study aimed to evaluate the available expert knowledge on the critical issues faced by front-line nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic. This review is the starting point for future research intended to analyze the role of the nurse and nursing care during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Methods: A literature search was carried out using keywords according to PICo. The search used scientific electronic databases such as EBSCOhost, SCOPUS, PubMed, and WOS. Selected documents were then analyzed and evaluated as part of the review study.
Results and discussion: The results are divided into five areas: nursing care of front-line nurses, management of front-line nurse, psychological problems facing front-line nurses, post-traumatic stress disorder of front-line nurses and stress management mechanisms of front-line nurses. Multiple studies showed that front-line nurses experienced very challenging situations during the COVID-19 pandemic, many of which significantly impacted their personal and professional lives. During the pandemic, nurses routinely faced shortages of suitable personal protective equipment, were put at high risk of infection and were often forced to live apart from their families. Instead of receiving psychological support, they experienced stress, fear, anxiety, helplessness, ashopelessness, depression, and on a daily basis, faced the death of patients under their care. In addition to total exhaustion, the mentioned work-related stresses caused many nurses to experience post-traumatic syndrome.
Conclusion: The COVID-19 pandemic put all healthcare systems and healthcare professionals under unprecedented pressure and unprecedented demands. These unique situations disrupted the provision of healthcare and created shortages in healthcare providers, which led to complex and unpredictable health system conditions across every country in the world.
Keywords:
nursing care – front-line nurses – COVID-19 patient
Sources
1. Abdollahimohammad A, Firouzkouhi M. Future perspectives of nurses with COVID 19. J Patient Exp 2020; 7(5): 640–641.
2. Adams JG, Walls RM. Supporting the health care workforce during the COVID-19 global epidemic. JAMA 2020; 323(15): 1439–1440.
3. Ali SK, Shah J, Talib Z. COVID-19 and mental well-being of nurses in a tertiary facility in Kenya. PloS One 2021; 16(7): e0254074.
4. Bartzik M, Aust F, Peifer C. Negative effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on nurses can be buffered by a sense of humor and appreciation. BMC Nurs 2021; 20: 257.4
5. Billings J, Kember T, Greene T, et al. Guidance for planners of the psychological response to stress experienced by hospital staff associated with COVID: early interventions 2020 [online]. Dostupné z: https: https://www.aomrc.org.uk/wp-content/ uploads/2020/03/Guidance-for-planners-of-the-psychologicalresponse- to-stress-experienced-by-HCWs-COVID-traumaresponse- working-group.pdf [cit. 2022-08-20].
6. Bulut C, Kato Y. Epidemiology of COVID-19. Turkish J Med Sci 2020; 50(SI–1): 563–570.
7. Cai Z, Cui Q, Liu Z, et al. Nurses endured high risks of psychological problems under the epidemic of COVID-19 in a longitudinal study in Wuhan China. J Psychiatr Res 2020; 131: 132–137.
8. Catania G, Zanini M, Hayter M, et al. Lessons from Italian frontline nurses’ experiences during the COVID‐19 pandemic: A qualitative descriptive study. J Nurs Manag 2021; 29(3): 404–411.
9. Dohrn J, Ferng YH, Shah R, et al. Addressing mental and emotional health concerns experienced by nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic. Nurs Outlook 2021; 70(1): 81–88.
10. Fernandez R, Lord H, Halcomb E, et al. Implications for COVID-19: a systematic review of nurses’ experiences of working in acute care hospital settings during a respiratory pandemic. Int J Nurs Stud 2020; 111: 103637.
11. Foli KJ, Forster A, Cheng C, et al. Voices from the COVID‐19 frontline: Nurses’ trauma and coping. J Adv Nurs 2021; 77(9): 3853–3866.
12. Frawley T, van Gelderen F, Somanadhan S, et al. The impact of COVID-19 on health systems, mental health and the potential for nursing. Ir J Psychol Med 2021; 38(3): 220–226.
13. Groves J. Team Time: Reflecting together on the Covid crisis 2020[online]. Dostupné z: https://www.pointofcarefoundation. org.uk/blog/team-time-reflecting-together-on-the-covid-crisis/ [cit. 2022-08-20].
14. Humpl L. Dopad na psychiku je časovaná bomba [online]. Dostupné z: https://www.tribune.cz/clanek/46361-dopad-napsychiku- je-casovana-bomba [cit. 2022-08-20].
15. Chen Q, Liang M, Li Y, et al. Mental health care for medical staff in China during the COVID-19 outbreak. Lancet Psychiatry 2020; 7(4): e15–e16.
16. Jiang Y. Psychological impact and coping strategies of frontline medical staff in Hunan between January and March 2020 during the outbreak of Coronavirus disease 2019. Med Sci Monit 2020; 26: 1–16.
17. Kader N, Elhusein B, Chandrappa NSK, et al. Perceived stress and post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms among intensive care unit staff caring for severely ill coronavirus disease 2019 patients during the pandemic: a national study. Ann Gen Psychiatry 2021; 20(1): 38.
18. Khan TM, Tahir H, Salman M, et al. General anxiety predictors among frontline warriors of COVID: cross-sectional study among nursing staff in Punjab, Pakistan. Arch Pharm Pract 2021; 12(2): 40–44.
19. Křivohlavý J. Sestra a stres. Praha: Grada Publishing 2010.
20. Lee N, Lee HJ. South Korean nurses’ experiences with patient care at a COVID-19-designated hospital: growth after the frontline battle against an infectious disease pandemic. Int J Environ Res Public Health 2020; 17(23): 9015.
21. Liu X, Xu Y, Chen Y, et al. Ethical dilemmas faced by frontline support nurses fighting COVID-19. Nurs Ethics 2021; 29(1): 7–18.
22. Loskotová M, Veverková K, Košťál R, Džupa V. Analýza pracovní zátěže sester na ortopedicko-traumatologickém pracovišti. Pracov. Lék. 2015; 67(1): 6–11.
23. Marečková J, Klugarová J, a kol. Evidence-based health care: zdravotnictví založené na vědeckých důkazech. Olomouc: Univerzita Palackého 2015.
24. Medical Tribune. Psychických problémů s pokračující pandemií přibývá 2021[online]. Dostupné z: https://www.tribune. cz/zdravotnictvi/psychickych-problemu-s-pokracujici-pandemii- pribyva/ [cit. 2022-08-20].
25. Möhring K, Naumann E, Reifenscheid M, et al. The COVID-19 pandemic and subjective well-being: longitudinal evidence on satisfaction with work and family. European Societies 2021; 23(Suppl 1): S601–S617.
26. MZČR. Pátá oficiální zpráva o aktivitách Nursing Now ČR [online]. Dostupné z: https://www.mzcr.cz/pata-zprava-o-aktivitach-nursing- now-v-cr/ [cit. 2022-08-20].
27. MZČR. COVID-19: Přehled aktuální situace v ČR [online]. Dostupné z: https://onemocneni-aktualne.mzcr.cz/covid-19?utm_source=- general&utm_medium=widget&utm_campaign=covid-19 [cit. 2022-08-20].
28. Nagai Y, Noguchi H. How designers transform keywords into visual images. In: Edmonds E, Candy L. Proceedings of the fourth conference on Creativity & cognition. USA: ACM Press 2002; 118–125.
29. Pearce PF, Hicks RW, Pierson ChA. Keywords matter. JAANP 2018; 30(4): 179–181.
30. Plevová I, a kol. Ošetřovatelství I. Praha: Grada Publishing 2018.
31. Ranieri J, Guerra F, Perilli E, et al. Prolonged COVID 19 outbreak and psychological response of nurses in Italian healthcare system: cross-sectional study. Front Psychol 2021; 12: 608413.
32. Rathnayake S, Dasanayake D, Maithreepala SD, et al. Nurses’ perspectives of taking care of patients with Coronavirus disease 2019: A phenomenological study. PloS One 2021; 16(9): e0257064.
33. Sears RW, Rudisill J, Mason-Sears C. Consultation skills for mental health professionals. New York: John Wiley & Sons, 2005.
34. Sethi A, Aamir HS, Sethi BA, et al. Impact on frontline nurses in the fight against coronavirus disease. Ann King Edw Med Univ 2020; 26(Special Issue): 120–125.
35. Shah A, Aacharya RP. Combating COVID-19 pandemic in Nepal: ethical challenges in an outbreak. J Nepal Med Assoc 2020; 58(224): 276–279.
36. Shirey MR. Social support in the workplace: nurse leader implications. Nurs Econ 2004; 22(6): 313–319.
37. Shrestha GS. COVID-19 pandemic: shortage of personal protective equipment, use of improvised surrogates, and the safety of health care workers. J Nepal Health Res Counc 2020; 18(1): 150.
38. Shawahna R. Knowledge, attitude, and use of protective measures against COVID-19 among nurses: a questionnaire-based multicenter cross-sectional study. BMC Nurs 2021; 20: 163.
39. Venglářová M, a kol. Sestry v nouzi: syndrom vyhoření, mobbing, bossing. Praha: Grada Publishing 2011.
40. Vévodová Š, Petrášová B, Vévoda J, a kol. Vliv směnného provozu na spánek a výskyt úzkosti u všeobecných sester. Pracov. Lék. 2016; 68(3): 103–109.
41. WHO. State of the world´s nursing 2020: investing in education, jobs and leadership [online]. Dostupné z: https://www.who.int/ publications/i/item/9789240003279 [cit. 2022-08-20].
42. WHO. COVID-19 weekly epidemiological update [online]. Dostupné z: https://www.who.int/publications/m/item/weekly- epidemiological-update-on-covid-19-6-january-2022 [cit. 2022-01-15].
43. Zamanzadeh V, Valizadeh L, Khajehgoodari M, Bagheriyeh F. Nurses’ experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic in Iran: a qualitative study. BMC Nurs 2021; 20: 198.
44. Zacher H, Rudolph CW. Individual differences and changes in subjective wellbeing during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic. Am Psychol 2020; 76(1): 50–62.
45. Zhang L, Liu Y. Potential interventions for novel coronavirus in China: a systematic review. J Med Virol 2020; 92(5): 479–490.
46. Zhang Y, Wei L, Li H, et al. The psychological change process of frontline nurses caring for patients with COVID-19 during its outbreak. Issues Ment Health Nurs 2020; 41(6): 525–530.
Labels
General practitioner for children and adolescents General practitioner for adultsArticle was published in
General Practitioner
2022 Issue 4
Most read in this issue
- Nursing care issues for frontline nurses during the covid-19 pandemic
- On the issue of compulsory vaccination in the First Czechoslovak Republic
- Breath-hold diving: great vigilance is necessary, it can be life-threatening!
- Lower costs of care in rural GPs – a sign of effectiveness or a warning?