The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Nursing Care: A Cross-Sectional Survey-Based Study

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a severe impact on nursing care. This cross-sectional survey-based study compared aspects of nursing care and nurses’ satisfaction with care provided before and during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. A total of 936 registered nurses (RNs) rated the frequency with which they performed fundamental care, nursing techniques, patient education, symptom management, and nurse–patient relationships before and during the pandemic. A recursive partitioning for ordered multivariate response in a conditional inference framework approach was applied. More frequent fundamental cares were associated with their frequency before the pandemic (p < 0.001), caring for COVID-19 patients (p < 0.001), and workplace reassignment (p = 0.004). Caring for COVID-19 patients (p < 0.001), workplace reassignment (p = 0.030), and caring for ≤7.4 COVID-19 patients (p = 0.014) increased nursing techniques. RNs in high-intensity COVID-19 units (p = 0.002) who educated patients before the pandemic, stopped this task. RNs caring for COVID-19 patients reported increased symptom management (p < 0.001), as did RNs caring for more non-COVID-19 patients (p = 0.037). Less frequent nurse–patient relationships before the pandemic and working in high-intensity COVID-19 units decreased nurse–patient relationships (p = 0.002). Despite enormous challenges, nurses continued to provide a high level of care. Ensuring the appropriate deployment and education of nurses is crucial to personalize care and to maintain nurses’ satisfaction with the care provided.

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The Role of Helplessness in the Appraisal of Illness Uncertainty in Women With Fibromyalgia

Nursing Science Quarterly ◽

10.1177/0894318420943151 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 33 (4) ◽

pp. 346-352

Author(s):

Melody D. Reibel ◽

Marianne H. Hutti

Keyword(s):

Survey Design ◽

Well Being ◽

Subjective Well Being ◽

Regression Analyses ◽

Cross Sectional Survey ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Illness Uncertainty ◽

High Level ◽

The Impact

Fibromyalgia is a chronic pain disorder characterized by uncertainty in etiology, symptomatology, diagnosis, treatment, and outcome. The high level of illness uncertainty that results from fibromyalgia is a risk factor for maladjustment to illness. A cross-sectional survey design was used to examine the relationships among illness uncertainty, helplessness, and subjective well-being in 138 women with fibromyalgia. Multiple regression analyses were conducted to examine a predictive model for mediation. We found illness uncertainty is negatively associated with subjective well-being and that helplessness strongly influences the impact of illness uncertainty on subjective well-being in women with fibromyalgia.

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Mental health and stress among ICU healthcare professionals in France according to intensity of the COVID-19 epidemic

Annals of Intensive Care ◽

10.1186/s13613-021-00880-y ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Alexandra Laurent ◽

Alicia Fournier ◽

Florent Lheureux ◽

Guillaume Louis ◽

Saad Nseir ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Intensive Care ◽

Perceived Stress ◽

High Intensity ◽

General Health Questionnaire ◽

Positive Thinking ◽

Cross Sectional Survey ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Mediation Analyses ◽

The Impact

Abstract Background We investigated the impact of the COVID-19 crisis on mental health of professionals working in the intensive care unit (ICU) according to the intensity of the epidemic in France. Methods This cross-sectional survey was conducted in 77 French hospitals from April 22 to May 13 2020. All ICU frontline healthcare workers were eligible. The primary endpoint was the mental health, assessed using the 12-item General Health Questionnaire. Sources of stress during the crisis were assessed using the Perceived Stressors in Intensive Care Units (PS-ICU) scale. Epidemic intensity was defined as high or low for each region based on publicly available data from Santé Publique France. Effects were assessed using linear mixed models, moderation and mediation analyses. Results In total, 2643 health professionals participated; 64.36% in high-intensity zones. Professionals in areas with greater epidemic intensity were at higher risk of mental health issues (p < 0.001), and higher levels of overall perceived stress (p < 0.001), compared to low-intensity zones. Factors associated with higher overall perceived stress were female sex (B = 0.13; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.08–0.17), having a relative at risk of COVID-19 (B = 0.14; 95%-CI = 0.09–0.18) and working in high-intensity zones (B = 0.11; 95%-CI = 0.02–0.20). Perceived stress mediated the impact of the crisis context on mental health (B = 0.23, 95%-CI = 0.05, 0.41) and the impact of stress on mental health was moderated by positive thinking, b = − 0.32, 95% CI = − 0.54, − 0.11. Conclusion COVID-19 negatively impacted the mental health of ICU professionals. Professionals working in zones where the epidemic was of high intensity were significantly more affected, with higher levels of perceived stress. This study is supported by a grant from the French Ministry of Health (PHRC-COVID 2020).

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Impact of fatigue on nursing care rationing in paediatric haematology and oncology departments – a cross-sectional study

BMC Nursing ◽

10.1186/s12912-021-00663-7 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 20 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Beata Jankowska-Polańska ◽

Monika Czyrniańska ◽

Kathie Sarzyńska ◽

Natalia Świątoniowska-Lonc ◽

Mariusz Chabowski

Keyword(s):

Nursing Care ◽

Positive Impact ◽

Social Dimension ◽

University Teaching ◽

Level Of Care ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Paediatric Haematology ◽

High Level ◽

Care Rationing ◽

The Impact

Abstract Background Rationing of nursing care is a relatively new concept. It refers to an error of omission and has a direct influence on the quality of nursing care and treatment outcomes. Nurses who experience chronic fatigue often fail to perform their duties properly, which may lead, for instance, to medical errors attributed to impaired judgment. Therefore, it is necessary to identify factors which give rise to fatigue, leading to rationing of nursing care, and develop strategies to eliminate them. The primary objective of the study was to assess the impact of fatigue on nursing care rationing in paediatric haematology and oncology departments. The secondary objective of this study was to identify the factors, which may influence the nursing care rationing. Methods The study was conducted among 95 nurses (aged between 23 and 58 years) workinginthe Department of Paediatric Oncology, Haematology and Bone Marrow Transplantation of the University Teaching Hospital in Wroclaw. Participation in the study was voluntary and anonymous. Our own sociodemographic questionnaire, the Basel Extent of Rationing of Nursing Carequestionnaire and the modified fatigue impact scale (MFIS) were used in the study. Results The level of fatigue among the nurses participating in the study, as measured by the MFIS, was high, namely 28.97 ± 16.78. It was found that the fatigue of the nurses influenced most often the psycho-social dimension of QoL (1.78 ± 1.05), and least often - cognitive (1.24 ± 0.78). A correlation analysis showed that all aspects of fatigue had a statistically significant positive impact on care rationing (p < 0.05), i.e. the greater the fatigue, the higher the level of care rationing. A regression analysis showed that a 12-h shift pattern was an independent predictor of the level of care rationing (r = 0.771, p < 0.05). Conclusions Nurses working in paediatric haematology departments report a high level of fatigue. Work pattern is an independent determinant of nursing carerationing. A high level of nursing care rationing was found for nurses working 12-h shifts. Trial registration The study was approved by the Bioethics Committee of the Wroclaw Medical University, Poland (February 8th 2019, No. 205/2019).

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The effect of entrepreneurial orientation on the export performance of apparel industry

Uncertain Supply Chain Management ◽

10.5267/j.uscm.2020.12.006 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 11-20

Author(s):

Kamal Hossain ◽

Ilhaamie Binti Abdul Ghani Azmi

Keyword(s):

Least Squares ◽

Risk Taking ◽

Entrepreneurial Orientation ◽

Export Performance ◽

Apparel Industry ◽

Primary Data ◽

Cross Sectional Survey ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

High Level ◽

The Impact

This study examines the impact of entrepreneurial orientation (EO) dimensions on the apparel industry's export performance. EO considers as innovativeness, proactiveness, and risk-taking dimensions. The determinants of export performance are firms' financial, strategic, and satisfaction levels of performance. A cross-sectional survey is carried out by providing a questionnaire to high-level managers and owners of the MLEs. Primary data of 339 treated by partial least squares (PLS-SEM) technique examines EO dimensions' impact on export performance. The findings of this study revealed that innovativeness and proactiveness positively and significantly impact export performance. However, risk-taking dimension does not affect export performance.

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General practitioners’ predictions of their own patients’ health literacy: a cross-sectional study in Belgium

BMJ Open ◽

10.1136/bmjopen-2019-029357 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 9 (9) ◽

pp. e029357

Author(s):

Hannelore Storms ◽

Bert Aertgeerts ◽

Frank Vandenabeele ◽

Neree Claes

Keyword(s):

Health Literacy ◽

General Practitioners ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Kappa Statistics ◽

Cross Sectional Survey ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Adequate Health Literacy ◽

General Practices ◽

Patient Relationships ◽

The Impact

ObjectivesTo support patients in their disease management, providing information that is adjusted to patients’ knowledge and ability to process health information (ie, health literacy) is crucial. To ensure effective health communication, general practitioners (GPs) should be able to identify people with limited health literacy. To this end, (dis)agreement between patients’ health literacy and GPs’ estimations thereof was examined. Also, characteristics impacting health literacy (dis)agreement were studied.DesignCross-sectional survey of general practice patients and GPs undertaken in 2016–17.SettingForty-one general practices in two Dutch-speaking provinces in Belgium.ParticipantsPatients (18 years of age and older) visiting general practices. Patients were excluded when having severe impairments (physical, mental, sensory).Main outcome measuresPatients’ health literacy was assessed with 16-item European Health Literacy Survey Questionnaire. GPs indicated estimations on patients’ health literacy using a simple scale (inadequate; problematic; adequate). (Dis)agreement between patients’ health literacy and GPs’ estimations thereof (GPs’ estimations being equal to/higher/lower than patients’ health literacy) was measured using Kappa statistics. The impact of patient and GP characteristics, including duration of GP–patient relationships, on this (dis)agreement was examined using generalised linear logit model.ResultsHealth literacy of patients (n=1375) was inadequate (n=201; 14.6%), problematic (n=299; 21.7%), adequate (n=875; 63.6%). GPs overestimated the proportion patients with adequate health literacy: adequate (n=1241; 90.3%), problematic (n=130; 9.5%) and inadequate (n=4; 0.3%). Overall, GPs’ correct; over-/underestimations of health literacy occurred for, respectively, 60.9%; 34.2%; 4.9% patients, resulting in a slight agreement (κ=0.033). The likelihood for GPs to over-/underestimate patients’ health literacy increases with decreasing educational level of patients; and decreasing number of years patients have been consulting with their GP.ConclusionsIntuitively assessing health literacy is difficult. Patients’ education, the duration of GP–patient relationships and GPs’ gender impact GPs’ perceptions of patients’ health literacy.

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Burn-out syndrome in Spanish internists during the COVID-19 outbreak and associated factors: a cross-sectional survey

BMJ Open ◽

10.1136/bmjopen-2020-042966 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (2) ◽

pp. e042966

Author(s):

Cristina Macía-Rodríguez ◽

Álvaro Alejandre de Oña ◽

Daniel Martín-Iglesias ◽

Lucía Barrera-López ◽

María Teresa Pérez-Sanz ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Alcohol Intake ◽

Front Line ◽

Cross Sectional Survey ◽

Higher Alcohol ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Overtime Work ◽

Sleeping Pills ◽

Burn Out ◽

High Level ◽

The Impact

ObjectivesThe objective of this study is to evaluate the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak on mental health and burn-out syndrome in Spanish internists and the factors that could be related to its appearance.DesignWe performed an observational, cross-sectional, descriptive study for which we designed a survey that was distributed in May 2020.SettingWe included internists who worked in Spain during the COVID-19 outbreak.ParticipantsA total of 1015 internists responded to the survey. Of those 62.9% were women.ResultsOf 1015 people, 58.3% presented with high emotional exhaustion, 61.5% had a high level of depersonalisation and 67.6% reported low personal fulfilment. 40.1% presented with the 3 criteria described, and therefore burn-out syndrome.Burn-out syndrome was independently related to the management of patients with SARS-CoV-2 (HR: 2.26; 95% CI 1.15 to 4.45), the lack of availability of personal protective equipment (HR: 1.41; 95% CI 1.05 to 1.91), increased responsibility (HR: 2.13; 95% CI 1.51 to 3.01), not having received financial compensation for overtime work (HR: 0.43; 95% CI 0.31 to 0.62), not having rested after 24-hour shifts (HR: 1.61; 95% CI 1.09 to 2.38), not having had holidays in the previous 6 months (HR: 1.36; 95% CI 1.01 to 1.84), consumption of sleeping pills (HR: 1.83; 95% CI 1.28 to 2.63) and higher alcohol intake (HR: 1.95; 95% CI 1.39 to 2.73).ConclusionsDuring the COVID-19 outbreak, 40.1% of Internal Medicine physicians in Spain presented with burn-out syndrome, which was independently related to the assistance of patients with SARS-CoV-2, overworking without any compensation and the fear of being contagious to their relatives. Therefore, it is imperative to initiate programmes to prevent and treat burn-out in front-line physicians during the COVID-19 outbreak.

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Psychological Impacts of COVID-19 During the First Nationwide Lockdown in Vietnam: Web-Based, Cross-Sectional Survey Study (Preprint)

10.2196/preprints.24776 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Khanh Ngoc Cong Duong ◽

Tien Nguyen Le Bao ◽

Phuong Thi Lan Nguyen ◽

Thanh Vo Van ◽

Toi Phung Lam ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Psychological Distress ◽

General Population ◽

Psychological Health ◽

Online Survey ◽

Survey Study ◽

Limited Information ◽

Cross Sectional Survey ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Event Scale ◽

The Impact

BACKGROUND The first nationwide lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic was implemented in Vietnam from April 1 to 15, 2020. Nevertheless, there has been limited information on the impact of COVID-19 on the psychological health of the public. OBJECTIVE This study aimed to estimate the prevalence of psychological issues and identify the factors associated with the psychological impact of COVID-19 during the first nationwide lockdown among the general population in Vietnam. METHODS We employed a cross-sectional study design with convenience sampling. A self-administered, online survey was used to collect data and assess psychological distress, depression, anxiety, and stress of participants from April 10 to 15, 2020. The Impact of Event Scale-Revised (IES-R) and the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale-21 (DASS-21) were utilized to assess psychological distress, depression, anxiety, and stress of participants during social distancing due to COVID-19. Associations across factors were explored using regression analysis. RESULTS A total of 1385 respondents completed the survey. Of this, 35.9% (n=497) experienced psychological distress, as well as depression (n=325, 23.5%), anxiety (n=195, 14.1%), and stress (n=309, 22.3%). Respondents who evaluated their physical health as average had a higher IES-R score (beta coefficient [B]=9.16, 95% CI 6.43 to 11.89), as well as higher depression (B=5.85, 95% CI 4.49 to 7.21), anxiety (B=3.64, 95% CI 2.64 to 4.63), and stress (B=5.19, 95% CI 3.83 to 6.56) scores for DASS-21 than those who rated their health as good or very good. Those who self-reported their health as bad or very bad experienced more severe depression (B=9.57, 95% CI 4.54 to 14.59), anxiety (B=7.24, 95% CI 3.55 to 10.9), and stress (B=10.60, 95% CI 5.56 to 15.65). Unemployment was more likely to be associated with depression (B=3.34, 95% CI 1.68 to 5.01) and stress (B=2.34, 95% CI 0.84 to 3.85). Regarding worries about COVID-19, more than half (n=755, 54.5%) expressed concern for their children aged <18 years, which increased their IES-R score (B=7.81, 95% CI 4.98 to 10.64) and DASS-21 stress score (B=1.75, 95% CI 0.27 to 3.24). The majority of respondents (n=1335, 96.4%) were confident about their doctor’s expertise in terms of COVID-19 diagnosis and treatment, which was positively associated with less distress caused by the outbreak (B=–7.84, 95% CI –14.58 to –1.11). CONCLUSIONS The findings highlight the effect of COVID-19 on mental health during the nationwide lockdown among the general population in Vietnam. The study provides useful evidence for policy decision makers to develop and implement interventions to mitigate these impacts. CLINICALTRIAL

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COVID-19 Psychological Impact on Health Care Workers in Saudi Arabia

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph18116076 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 18 (11) ◽

pp. 6076

Author(s):

Hasan S. Alamri ◽

Wesam F. Mousa ◽

Abdullah Algarni ◽

Shehata F. Megahid ◽

Ali Al Bshabshe ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Health Care ◽

Saudi Arabia ◽

Health Care Workers ◽

Psychological Impact ◽

Psychological Outcomes ◽

Cross Sectional Survey ◽

Online Questionnaire ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Care Workers ◽

The Impact

Objective: Little is known about the impact of Coronavirus (COVID-19) among the health care workers in Saudi Arabia. Therefore, the present study aimed to assess the psychological impact of COVID-19 among the health care workers. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted from May till mid-July among 389 health care workers from government and private hospitals in Saudi Arabia. Data was collected using a pre-structured online questionnaire that measured adverse psychological outcomes, including the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) scale and the Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-item (GAD-7) scale. The Pearson chi-square test was used to assess the distribution of depression and anxiety among health care workers. Results: A high level of anxiety was recorded among the health care workers, and 69.3% of health care workers below the age of 40 were found to have depression. There was a significant increase in depression among staff with chronic health problems (72.1% vs. 61.9%; p = 0.048). High anxiety levels were detected among young staff compared to others (68.7% vs. 43.8%; p = 0.001). Moreover, 82.1% of the female staff were anxious, as compared to 55.6% of the males (p = 0.001). Conclusions: We found increased prevalence of adverse psychological outcomes among the health care workers in Saudi Arabia during the outbreak of COVID-19. Therefore, there is a need for proper screening and development of corresponding preventive measures to decrease the adverse psychological outcomes.

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Are e-learning Webinars the future of medical education? An exploratory study of a disruptive innovation in the COVID-19 era

Cardiology in the Young ◽

10.1017/s1047951120004503 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 1-10

Author(s):

Colin J. McMahon ◽

Justin T. Tretter ◽

Theresa Faulkner ◽

R. Krishna Kumar ◽

Andrew N. Redington ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Deep Learning ◽

Carbon Footprint ◽

Quantitative Research ◽

Survey Design ◽

Hybrid Approach ◽

Disruptive Innovation ◽

Cross Sectional Survey ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

E Learning ◽

The Impact

Abstract Objective: This study investigated the impact of the Webinar on deep human learning of CHD. Materials and methods: This cross-sectional survey design study used an open and closed-ended questionnaire to assess the impact of the Webinar on deep learning of topical areas within the management of the post-operative tetralogy of Fallot patients. This was a quantitative research methodology using descriptive statistical analyses with a sequential explanatory design. Results: One thousand-three-hundred and seventy-four participants from 100 countries on 6 continents joined the Webinar, 557 (40%) of whom completed the questionnaire. Over 70% of participants reported that they “agreed” or “strongly agreed” that the Webinar format promoted deep learning for each of the topics compared to other standard learning methods (textbook and journal learning). Two-thirds expressed a preference for attending a Webinar rather than an international conference. Over 80% of participants highlighted significant barriers to attending conferences including cost (79%), distance to travel (49%), time commitment (51%), and family commitments (35%). Strengths of the Webinar included expertise, concise high-quality presentations often discussing contentious issues, and the platform quality. The main weakness was a limited time for questions. Just over 53% expressed a concern for the carbon footprint involved in attending conferences and preferred to attend a Webinar. Conclusion: E-learning Webinars represent a disruptive innovation, which promotes deep learning, greater multidisciplinary participation, and greater attendee satisfaction with fewer barriers to participation. Although Webinars will never fully replace conferences, a hybrid approach may reduce the need for conferencing, reduce carbon footprint. and promote a “sustainable academia”.

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