Health Experiences of Nurses during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Mixed Methods Study

Abstract

This study characterizes the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the mental and physical health of nurses. Qualitative data (collected using semi-structured interviews) were integrated with quantitative data (collected concurrently using the SF-12 Health Survey). Nurses ( N = 30) compared their health prior to and during the first pandemic wave (March–May 2020). Interviews were analyzed thematically; descriptive statistics and t-tests compared pre-pandemic to current SF-12 scores. Qualitative findings demonstrated an impact on nurses’ mental health expressed as isolation, loss, intense emotions, and feelings of being expendable. Impact on nurses’ physical health included exhaustion, personal protective equipment skin breakdown, limited breaks from work, and virus exposure. Quantitative results show nurses’ experienced declines in overall mental health ( p < .001), and multiple physical health domains: role limitations due to physical problems ( p < .0001), bodily pain ( p < .0001), and general health ( p < .0001). Promotion of nurses’ well-being and safety, as well as education in emergency preparedness, must be given precedence to protect nurses’ health.

Covid-19 pandemic? Mental health implications among nurses and Proposed interventions

“…Similarly, Harris ML et al (2023) revealed that the COVID-19 pandemic had adverse effects on nurses' mental health, including feelings of isolation, loss, strong emotions, and a sense of worthlessness. In addition, they reported physical health problems, including exhaustion and skin problems, due to the prolonged use of personal protective equipment (PPE) [14] . Another study by Vázquez Sánchez MÁ et al (2023) analyzed 25 Spanish nurse interviews to investigate the professional grief experienced by nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on nurses' psyche, and consequently on their professional and personal lives.…”

After the first lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic: Perceptions, experiences, and effects on well-being in Italian people

“…During the last couple of years, many studies probed the experience of the first wave of the pandemic through a mixed-method design, collecting both qualitative and quantitative data. Among those studies, those which combined validated questionnaires and open-ended questions or in-depth interviews focused on specific populations, mainly health care workers, nurses and doctors (e.g., Svantesson et al, 2022;Harris et al, 2023;Richards et al, 2023), but also medical students (Rolland, 2022), family caregivers (Leleszi-Tróbert et al, 2022), women with young children (Wandschneider et al, 2022), children with obesity (Welling et al, 2022), supermarket workers (Mayer et al, 2022), and university students (Mourad et al, 2022). To our knowledge, three studies explored the effects of stress during the first wave of the pandemic through a mixed-method design.…”

Implementing Longitudinal Wellbeing Interventions and Evaluation Among Midwestern Healthcare Workers During COVID-19

“…example, studies conducted in the United States on the effect of the pandemic on the healthcare workforce have included only small samples of Midwestern healthcare workers, if any, and did not report results by region. 5,8,12,13 Furthermore, within U.S. studies, none found in our recent literature search assessed the mental health of the workforce at multiple time points throughout 2020 and 2021 as waves of COVID-19 cases surged. In addition, limited data have been published on self-care activities in which U.S. healthcare workers are engaged, 3,8,10 and no studies have addressed actions taken by healthcare organizations to support mental wellbeing during the pandemic.…”