Aim To study the relationship between Polish nurses' working conditions and their attitudes towards patient safety during the COVID‐19 pandemic. Background Facing the COVID‐19 pandemic, caused by the SARS‐CoV‐2 virus, healthcare worldwide has been reorganised. How these changes affected patient safety for hospitalised persons is not well understood. Introduction Difficult working conditions related to the outbreak of the COVID‐19 pandemic may affect the provision of safe and effective care by healthcare staff. Methods This observational research was performed on the group of 577 nurses working during the COVID‐19 pandemic in isolation infection wards ( n = 201) and non‐infectious diseases wards ( n = 376) in Polish hospitals. The evaluation of working conditions was performed with an author's questionnaire, while the evaluation of factors influencing attitudes towards safety of the hospitalised patients was performed using Safety Attitudes Questionnaire. The STROBE checklist was used to report this study. Results The procedures developed by management in advance for COVID‐19 patient treatment had a statistically significant influence on nurses' ‘evaluation of teamwork climate, safety climate, job satisfaction, perception of management and work conditions’. Providing management with the ability to perform a swab polymerase chain reaction SARS‐CoV‐2 test for hospital staff in the workplace, and psychological support from professionals and employers were statistically significant for higher ratings of ‘teamwork climate, safety climate, job satisfaction, stress recognition, perception of management and work conditions’ by the Polish nurses. Hospital workload during the COVID‐19 pandemic was significantly correlated with lower evaluation of work conditions. Discussion Our study reinforces the existing literature on many fronts and demonstrates how even when operating under the COVID‐19 pandemic conditions, some factors remain critical for fostering a culture of patient safety. Reinforcing patient safety practices is a imperative under these conditions. Conclusions and implications for nursing Working conditions influence nurses' attitudes towards safety of the hospitalised patients. These are largely modifiable factors related to the workplace and include prior preparation of procedures, restrictions to extending daily work hours and psychological counselling for the staff.
Introduction. Working in the state of a pandemic is a huge mental load for the medical environment. Aim. Evaluation of emotional control among nurses against work conditions and the support received during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. Material and methods. The research was performed among nurses (n = 577) working during the pandemic caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus in infectious (n = 201) and non-infectious (n = 376) wards in 11 Polish hospitals. To evaluate work conditions, the questionnaire prepared by the authors and the Emotional Control Scale (Courtauld Emotional Control Scale—CECS), which rates the control of anger, depression, and fear were used. Results. In the entire research group, fear had the highest rate of suppression among the negative emotions—18.25 points, 17.91 points in infectious wards and 18.44 points among nurses working in non-infectious wards; p > 0.05. The nurses fear was significantly repressed when there was no possibility of the nurses having to perform a COVID-19 test in the workplace ; p < 0.05. A larger emotional supressed occurred in nurses who simultaneously declared the perception of increased stress level; p < 0.05. Conclusions. A high level of emotion suppression, especially regarding fear, combined with higher stress levels, occurring irrespective of the ward, points at the need for mental support for the researched nurses.
The COVID-19 pandemic caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus has significantly influenced the functioning of Polish hospitals, and thus, the working conditions of nurses. Research on the presence of specific negative emotions in nurses may help identify deficits in the future, as well as directing preventive actions. The present research was performed among nurses (n = 158) working in Polish healthcare facilities during the third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, where Group A (n = 79) consisted of nurses diagnosed with COVID-19, and Group B (n = 79) nurses who have never been infected with COVID-19. To perform the research, the Courtauld Emotional Control Scale (CECS), Trait Anxiety Scale (Polish: SL-C) and the authors’ survey questionnaire were used. A positive test result was generally determined more often among nurses who indicated a noninfectious ward as their main workplace, compared to nurses employed in infectious wards (64.55% positive vs 33.45% negative). Over a half of the subjects identified moderate levels of emotion suppression as the method to regulate strong emotions, while one-quarter cited high levels of suppression. Anxiety was suppressed at high and moderate levels by 97% of the subjects, depression by 86.71%, and anger by 79.48%. Infection with COVID-19 results in a higher level of anxiety and depression, as well as a feeling of increased work load.
Introduction. An increase in the number of elderly people and hence in dementia is the consequence of extended lifespans worldwide. Difficulties in organising and financing care for elderly patients as well as considerable treatment costs have become major issues for contemporary healthcare systems because of a large number of people affected by dementia. Aim. This research aimed at attempting to specify the risk of dementia in elderly people under institutional longterm care. Material and Methods. The research cohort was comprised of 300 elderly patients who were staying in long-term care institutions all over Poland. The investigation employed the NOSGER scale (Nurses' Observation Scale for Geriatric Patients), which allows both professional and non-professional carers of the elderly to evaluate physical, mental, and social state of their patients quickly and easily. Results. An overall evaluation of the elderly averaged out at 74.76±20.80. Investigated patients functioned best in the domain of distracting activities (7.83±2.58) and memory (10.38±3.81). Mood (12.18±4.39) and activities of daily living (13.19±5.31) averaged out at slightly lower levels. Finally, greatest deficits were discovered in the domain of social behaviour (14.42±5.16) and instrumental activities of daily living (16.74±4.82). Conclusions. Research findings show that the group of geriatric patients staying in long-term care institutions faces low risk of dementia changes. Within the domains that are significant for changes of this type (memory, mood, disruptive behaviour) patients functioned at a relatively good level. Greatest deficits were only found in the domain of physical functioning, which was related to restricting their functional ability caused by already existing ailments and age-related constraints.
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