A Large Scale of Nurses Participated in Beating down COVID-19 in China: The Physical and Psychological Distress

Abstract

The outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) posed an unprecedented threat to health care providers (HCPs) in Wuhan, China, especially for nurses who were frequently exposed to infected or suspected patients. Limited information was available about the working experience of nurses in fighting against the pandemic. To learn the physical and psychological responses of nurses during the pandemic and explore the potential determinants, we conducted a large-scale survey in Wuhan. This multicenter cross-sectional study enrolled 5521 nurses who worked in designated hospitals, mobile cabins, or shelters during the pandemic. A structured online questionnaire was distributed to assess the physical discomforts, emotional distress and cognitive reactions of nurses at work, and the log-binomial regression analysis was performed to explore potential determinants. A considerable proportion of nurses had symptoms of physical discomforts [3677 (66.6%)] and emotional distress [4721 (85.5%)]. Nurses who were directly involved in the care of patients (i.e., care for severe patients: RR, 2.35; 95% CI, 1.95-2.84), with irregular work schedules (RR, 2.36; 95% CI, 1.95-2.87), and working overtime (RR, 1.34; 95% CI, 1.08-1.65) were at a higher risk for physical discomforts. Nurses who were directly involved in the care of patients (i.e., care for severe patients: RR, 1.78; 95% CI, 1.40-2.29), with irregular work schedules (RR, 3.39; 95% CI, 2.43-4.73), and working overtime (RR, 1.51; 95% CI, 1.12-2.04) were at a higher risk for emotional distress. Therefore, formulating reasonable work schedules and improving workforce systems are necessary to alleviate the physical and emotional distress of nurses during the pandemic.

The disaster resilience trajectory of the first batch front-line nurses at fighting the Novel Coronavirus Disease 2019 in Wuhan: A qualitative study

“…As pioneers, they engaged in saving patients with COVID-19 from the beginning of the epidemic for approximately two months. Although other researchers had undertaken the similar studies to either first-line health-care providers or nurses [ 5 , 10 , 14 , 15 ], most of the studies were conducted during the process of disaster rescue task. Therefore, it is hard to gain the deep insight on the disaster resilience trajectories of first-line nurses from the very beginning.…”

“…The psychological impacts on front-line nurses followed by the disaster, such as anxiety, mental distress, emotional disturbance and depression were reported [ [8] , [9] , [10] ]. However, not all disaster rescuers would suffer from the negative psychological problems [ 11 ].…”

Covid-19: Desafios E Possíveis Repercussões Enfrentados Pelos Enfermeiros Atuantes Na Linha De Frente

“…Alguns fatores são estressores significativos aos enfermeiros, como trabalhar em um ambiente isolado, escassez de EPI's e o desconforto pelo seu uso prolongado, distúrbios do sono, intensidade da carga de trabalho, barreiras culturais e linguísticas, falta de apoio familiar, medo de ser infectado, salário baixo e a experiência de trabalho insuficiente (LENG et al, 2020). Além disso, em relação ao estresse emocional, a prevalência em profissionais de enfermagem que prestavam cuidados aos pacientes graves acometidos por Covid-19 foi consideravelmente alta, variando de 45,1% a 89%, tornando-se o principal fator de risco durante a pandemia (WANG et al, 2021).…”

Saúde física e mental dos profissionais de enfermagem no mundo pós pandemia: revisão integrativa da literatura

“…Esses profissionais permanecem vistos como cuidadores a qualquer custo, comprometendo suas condições de saúde em favor da assistência à população (Galon, et al, 2022). Wang. et al, (2021) na sua pesquisa quantitativo, transversal, experimental, multicêntrico tinha como intuito avaliação das alterações físicas e psicológicas em enfermeiros que passaram pelo período pandêmico em Wuhan, China, identificado que a proporção considerável de enfermeiros apresentou sintomas de desconfortos físicos como enxaquecas e infecções cutâneas, além do sofrimento emocional, estando diretamente envolvidos no cuidado de pacientes, com horários de trabalho irregulares e trabalhando horas extras, impactado vida social desses profissionais de saúde.…”