Hospital staff well‐being during the first wave of COVID‐19: Staff perspectives

Abstract

The purpose of this research is to determine the impact of working during the early stage of the COVID‐19 pandemic on the well‐being of staff at one 600‐bed acute hospital in metropolitan Melbourne, Australia. This exploratory study is part of a larger mixed methods survey project, reporting the qualitative data from an on‐line survey of clinical staff working at one acute hospital between April 16th and May 13th, 2020 during the COVID‐19 pandemic. Responses to five free‐text questions were analysed using inductive content analysis. 321 medical, nursing, allied health and non‐clinical staff responded to the survey. Respondents reported anxiety, fear and uncertainty related to the pandemic, from the perspectives of work, home, family and community. They reported feeling confused by inconsistent messages received from government, hospital executive, managers and media. Seven themes were identified: (i) worrying about patient care, (ii) changed working conditions, (iii) working in the changed hospital environment, (iv) impact of the pandemic, (v) personal isolation and uncertainty, (vi) leadership and management and (vii) additional support needed for staff. Despite the pandemic being comparatively well‐controlled in Australia, all disciplines reported a high degree of anticipatory anxiety. Staff working in healthcare require both managerial and psychological support to minimise anxiety and promote well‐being and resilience in order to deal with the health crisis. Regular unambiguous communication directing the way forward is crucial.

Nurses' pandemic lives: A mixed-methods study of experiences during COVID-19

“…The COVID-19 pandemic posed several ethical issues for nurses such as working in a critical care unit without proper training, caring for an unprecedented number of people dying alone, and a reported conflict between duty and their own safety as noted by respondents in this study. According to multiple authors, the COVID-19 pandemic has left nurses at the frontline of patient care at risk for moral distress and subsequent moral injury due to traumatic situations, uncertainties, and onerous ethical decisions faced in these times ( Digby et al, 2020 ; Dimino et al, 2020 ; Lingis, 2020 ; Sun et al, 2020 ).…”

“…Scholarly literature detailing the experiences of nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic is rapidly expanding ( Digby et al, 2020 ; Dimino et al, 2020 ; Lingis, 2020 ; Sun et al, 2020 ). Although SARS (WHO, 2003) and MERS (WHO, 2012) had epidemic and not pandemic viral spreads, they presented many similarities noted in research surrounding nursing and COVID-19.…”

Mental health of Health Care Workers (HCWs): a review of organizational interventions put in place by local institutions to cope with new psychosocial challenges resulting from COVID-19

“…Reports from all over the world have already ascertained that HCWs have significant levels of self-reported anxiety, depression, insomnia and even symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder ( Buselli et al, 2020a , 2020b ; Digby et al, 2020 ; Firew et al, 2020 ; Krishnamoorthy et al, 2020 ; Maiorano et al, 2020 ; Pappa et al, 2020 ; Trumello et al, 2020 ; Vagni et al, 2020 ) and a recent canadian meta-analysis further evidenced that the prevalence of insomnia seems to be more than two times higher among HCWs than in the general population ( Cenat et al, 2021 ).…”

Immediate impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the work and personal lives of Australian hospital clinical staff

“…1 Positive aspects of the SARS outbreak were also reported, including increased awareness of infection control and a sense of togetherness and cooperation. 2 Evidence is emerging about the psychological impact of COVID-19 on healthcare workers, [3][4][5][6][7][8][9] but little is known about their specific COVID-19-related concerns and the perceived impact of the pandemic on their work and personal lives, particularly for hospital clinical staff during the first wave of the pandemic in Australia (late January 2020-May 2020; https:// covid19.who.int/region/wpro/country/au). Identification and understanding of hospital clinical staff's COVID-19-related psychosocial concerns and the impact of the pandemic on their work and personal lives will help in the development and implementation of appropriate well-being and support initiatives.…”