How Do They Feel at the First Line During the Covid Outbreak: A Survey among Indonesian Nurses

Abstract

AIM: This descriptive survey study is conducted to examine the nurses’ perceived occupational safety as a front line during the pandemic period in Aceh Province, Indonesia METHODS: This research used a cross-sectional study design. The study was conducted in all districts/cities in the Aceh province. Sample in this study amounted to 199 respondents, collected using a snowball sampling technique. The developed questionnaire consists of respondents’ demographic data and Nurse Occupational Safety Questionnaire, and it has been tested for validity and reliability tests. Data were collected using web-based questionnaires (google form) via appointed representatives responsible for sharing the questionnaire link. Then, data were analyzed using the descriptive statistic by using SPSS software. RESULTS: This study found that 126 respondents (63.3%) perceived safe and 73 respondents (33.7%) felt the unsafe conditions in working during pandemic in Aceh. Factors contributed to this result are included age (p = 0.029), educational level (p = 0.003), and work setting (p = 0.000). CONCLUSION: Feeling unsafe by nurses can be assumed by the incidence rate of nurses becoming infected by the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome-Coronavirus-2 virus has reached 60.3% for the respondent. Therefore, the stakeholders, including the Government, Health Service Management, Hospital Management, and other health agencies, must take responsibility for this situation, especially in monitoring and evaluating the performance and needs of nurses who direct and indirectly treat the coronavirus disease 2019 patients.

Nurses' knowledge and attitudes towards hand hygiene in Aceh, Indonesia: A correlational study among surgical nurses

“…According to Mohaithef's (2020) study, 65.4% of nurses demonstrated appropriate hand hygiene practices, while 10.3% showed inappropriate practices. These results suggest that despite positive attitudes, some nurses do not always follow good hand hygiene practices (Putra et al, 2022b). Moreover, the study found that women (88%) had significantly higher rates of good hand hygiene practices than men (44%) (Mohaithef, 2020).…”

“…Ensuring proper hand hygiene is a critical precaution individuals can take to safeguard themselves against COVID-19 and its transmission during the pandemic (Putra et al, 2022b). It serves as a fundamental component of infection control, acting as the first line of defense against the spread of harmful microorganisms (Jacob and Srijayanth, 2021).…”

“…The WHO (2009WHO ( , 2015 offered valuable guidelines that must be adhered to for optimal protection against infections. Nurses hold a critical responsibility in halting the spread of infections and maintaining patient safety (Putra et al, 2022b) et al, 2012;Putra et al, 2022a). They are essential in reducing the incidence of hospital-acquired infections and supporting patient recovery by minimizing infection complications.…”