Emotions in the Time of COVID-19: Affections and Impacts among the Spanish Primary Care Workforce

Pulido-Fuentes, Montserrat; Martos, Juan Antonio Flores; Abad-González, Luisa; Navarta‐Sánchez, María Victoria; Valera-Oviedo, Laura; Crespo, Carmen Cipriano

doi:10.3390/healthcare9121723

Cited by 3 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 49 publications

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“…Families were their primary source of support in vulnerable situations, protecting them from or cushioning them against the psychological impact of the pandemic (18,49). Similarly, Pulido-Fuentes et al (50) demonstrated the critical role of primary care family and community health services in protecting emotional health and maintaining mental health, even among direct care workers. Family and friends' support and positive attitudes have been shown to reduce perceived stress and be more supportive during infectious disease outbreaks (16).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Facing the unknown COVID-19 pandemic: A qualitative study with nurses and nursing assistants in three European countries

Podgorica

Zenzmaier

Rungg

et al. 2022

Front. Public Health

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BackgroundThe coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is now a worldwide public health emergency. As essential and central parts of the COVID-19 patient care team, nurses and nurse assistants are facing all kinds of challenges caused by the disease and the pandemic. Understanding these challenges and the way nurses and nurse assistants handle and cope with them provides important knowledge on how to improve management of future pandemics and endemic situations. Thus, the present study explored the challenges faced by nurses and nurse asssitants who cared for COVID-19 patients in hospitals and long term care facilities in Italy, Austria and Germany.MethodsThe study employed a qualitative design. Purposive sampling was used to select the participants consisting on nurses (n = 30), nurse coordinators (n = 6) and nurse assistants (n = 5) from hospitals (n = 32) and long-term care facilities (n = 9) in Austria, Germany, and Italy. Data were collected between August and December 2020 through semi-structured interviews. The collected data were analyzed using qualitative content analysis.ResultsThe analysis of the data revealed three main themes with twelve sub-categories: (i) Knowledge, skills, and training (lack of knowledge; skills; organizational issues; training); (ii) resources and risk (lack of protective equipment; difficulties with protective equipment; risk and infection; feelings and isolation); (iii) coping strategies (humor; adaption; team effort; self-care; family and friends).ConclusionNurses and nurse assistants who participated in this study faced many personal and professional challenges, and used different coping strategies to manage the situation. Some of these strategies can be applied to reduce these challenges and create better working conditions for nurses and nurse assistants in similar events. Further research, training of staff, and adaptation of institutional policies may help develop new strategies to face future pandemics successfully.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Facing the unknown COVID-19 pandemic: A qualitative study with nurses and nursing assistants in three European countries

Podgorica

Zenzmaier

Rungg

et al. 2022

Front. Public Health

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“…It is evident that the data are discouraging but even more so if we observe the diagnosed cases of healthcare personnel [ 7 ]. Studies on the impact of the pandemic on health workers in the Spanish context have shown a high prevalence of emotional and general health symptoms [ 8 , 9 ]. In the region of Murcia, to date, 331,577 confirmed cases of COVID-19 have been registered.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

How Did the Pandemic Affect Communication in Clinical Settings? A Qualitative Study with Critical and Emergency Care Nurses

et al. 2022

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The objective of the present study was to determine the subjective impact of the pandemic due to COVID-19 on communication, as perceived by nurses working at emergency services and Intensive Care Units at various hospitals in the Region of Murcia (Spain). A qualitative study was conducted based on the content analysis of 12 semi-structured individual interviews. The participant recruitment process was performed through a snowball sampling technique. Four main dimensions, eleven categories, and two sub-categories were obtained: (1) communication (communicative expressions, both verbal and non-verbal-, and limitations); (2) emotional aspects (positive, negative); (3) overload (first wave, second wave, and third wave); and (4) relationships (health professionals–patients, healthcare professionals, patients–family, and family–health professionals). The main findings of the study show that communication was slightly affected during the pandemic, especially the non-verbal kind, with verbal communication maintained and, in some occasions, strengthened. The lack of training in communication skills and its influence on the management of difficult periods was another important finding. Communication in general deteriorated during the pandemic, especially during the initial waves. Non-verbal communication was more affected due to the use of Personal Protective Equipment and the initial fear of infection, with this finding strongly observed in departments such as emergencies or critical care. The nurses who were interviewed underlined negative emotional aspects associated with a deficit in communication. The positive aspects described were associated with the creation of mutual support spaces and the group cohesion of the work teams during the pandemic. As an implication for current and future clinical practice, we recommend a coordinated institutional response to mitigate the potential emotional effects on workers by designing appropriate communication and emotional expression protocols.

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“…Indeed, the crisis caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus has only accelerated already existing processes and dynamics, affecting the working conditions of healthcare professionals worldwide. In particular, making decisions against their professional ethical standards and witnessing the unequal distribution of healthcare resources among the population caused an added moral strain [ 60 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Towards a liquid healthcare: primary care organisational and management strategies during the COVID-19 pandemic - a qualitative study

Pulido-Fuentes

González

Reneo

et al. 2022

BMC Health Serv Res

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Background The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the organisational and management strategies of healthcare institutions such as primary care centres. Organisational culture as well as leadership style are key issues for the success of these institutions. Due to the multidimensional nature of identity processes, it is necessary to explore the changes experienced by health professionals from these perspectives. This study explores health professionals’ organisational and management strategies in primary care settings during the COVID-19 pandemic. Design Qualitative, exploratory study based on the analysis of participants’ accounts within a hermeneutic phenomenologicaly approach. Methods Research was conducted in primary care settings in two neighbouring Spanish healthcare regions. The sample included participants with different demographics (gender, age), professional roles (practice managers, general practitioners, paediatricians), employment status (permanent, temporary, zero-hours), and years of experience (under or over ten years’ experience). Data were collected between July and December 2020 through focus groups and in-depth, semi-structured individual interviews. Results A total of 53 primary care workers participated in the study, of which 38 were individually interviewed and 15 participated in three focus groups. Of these, 78.4% were healthcare professionals, 49% were female nurses, and 70.5% had more than 10 years of work experience in primary care. Two main themes emerged: “liquid” healthcare and “the best healthcare system in the world”. During the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, new, more fluid organisational and management models were implemented in primary care settings, which have remained in place since. Primary care workers’ perceived a lack of appreciation and inclusion in decision-making that risked their alienation and disengagement. Conclusion Primary care workers’ professional identity became gradually blurred due to shifting perceptions of their professional roles in a context of increasing improvisation and flexible working practices. This affected their professional performance. Trial Registration The study was approved by the Clinical Research Ethical Committee of the Talavera de la Reina Integrated Management Area (CEIm del AGI de Talavera de la Reina in Spain, Hospital Nuestra Señora del Prado, ref: 23/2020).

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Emotions in the Time of COVID-19: Affections and Impacts among the Spanish Primary Care Workforce

Cited by 3 publications

References 49 publications

Facing the unknown COVID-19 pandemic: A qualitative study with nurses and nursing assistants in three European countries

Facing the unknown COVID-19 pandemic: A qualitative study with nurses and nursing assistants in three European countries

How Did the Pandemic Affect Communication in Clinical Settings? A Qualitative Study with Critical and Emergency Care Nurses

Towards a liquid healthcare: primary care organisational and management strategies during the COVID-19 pandemic - a qualitative study

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