Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) outbreak perceptions of risk and stress evaluation in nurses

Abstract

Introduction: Saudi Arabia was affected by an outbreak of Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV). We aimed to determine the perception of risk and level of stress among nurses. Methodology: A questionnaire survey was administered to determine the perceptions of risk of MERS-CoV infection. Results: The majority of the participants were females (332; 86.0%), and there were 54 (14.0%) males. Of the 386 respondents, nurses constituted the majority of the respondents (293; 75.9%), and there were 34 doctors (8.8%). The percentage of exposure was found to be greater in those who were working in the intensive care unit (ICU) (89; 23%). There was a significant difference in the worry and fear scale of contracting the MERS-CoV infection between participants who worked in isolation areas, ICUs, and emergency rooms (mean: 3.01 ± 1.1) compared to participants who worked in areas that are less likely to admit and have MERS-CoV suspected or positive cases (mean: 2.77 ± 1.1; p = 0.031. Females were significantly more worried and fearful of contracting the virus compared to males (mean: 2.92 ± 1.1 versus 2.61 ± 1.0, respectively; p = 0.045). Conclusions: MERS-CoV caused a relatively significant level of distress among nurses. There was a difference in the worry and fear scale of contracting the MERS-CoV infection between participants who worked in areas likely to admit and have MERS-CoV suspected or positive cases. After the campaign, the level of confidence got higher and the participants were more adherent to the infection control precautions.

Middle East Respiratory Syndrome-Corona Virus (MERS-CoV) associated stress among medical students at a university teaching hospital in Saudi Arabia

“…Female students of health and non-health majors were reported to have more anxiety, while no gender difference was found in another study of medical students, with both studies describing undergraduate students during or after the SARS epidemic [15,16]. In another study about MERS-CoV outbreak perceptions of risk and stress evaluation in nurses, females were also found to have significantly more fear of contracting the virus compared to males [17]. In our study, the stress score was 5.14 ± 1.72 of junior medical students were more worried, but it was not statistically significant.…”

Occurrence, prevention, and management of the psychological effects of emerging virus outbreaks on healthcare workers: rapid review and meta-analysis

“…See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/. Box 3: Recommendations to deal with psychological problems in healthcare workers in novel outbreaks Individual factors • Staff "buddy" system to support personal precautionary measures 40 • Encouragement among peers 43 • Sufficient rest and time off 35 43 • Opportunities for reflection on the effects of stress 56 66 • Increased support from family and friends 16 17 Service factors • Communication and training ○ Clear communication with staff 12 ○ Redesigning nursing care procedures that pose high risks for spread of infections 34 67 ○ Improving safety such as a better ventilation system or constructing or negative pressure rooms to isolate patients 34 67 ○ Reducing the density of patients on wards 34 67 • Psychological ○ Recognition of staff efforts 13 ○ Training to deal with identification of and responses to psychological problems 22 28 ○ Minimising time in quarantine 22 33 38 ○ Access to psychological interventions 16 12 13 40 43 ○ Avoidance of compulsory assignment to caring for patients with coronavirus 35 55 ○ Rearranging hospital infrastructure, such as redeployment of wards and human resources 34 67 ○ Availability of hospital security to help deal with uncooperative patients 22 • Personal support ○ Guaranteed food and daily living supplies 13 22 43 ○ Alternative accommodation for staff who are concerned about infecting their families 22 33 67 ○ Video facilities for staff to keep in contact with families and alleviate their concerns 22 Societal factors ○ Attention to media portrayal of healthcare workers 66 ○ Minimisation of stigma and discrimination 15…”

Working experiences of nurses during the Middle East respiratory syndrome outbreak

“…Along with high risk of being infected, studies reported that health care personnel experienced occupational risks, distress, and the fear of contacting and transmitting the disease during epidemics of H1N1, severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), and Ebola virus (Bukhari et al, 2016;Chou et al, 2010;Corley, Hammond, & Fraser, 2010;Koh, Hegney, & Drury, 2012;Speroni, Seibert, & Mallinson, 2015).…”