Physical problems and fatigue level of nurses during the COVID‐19 pandemic

Oral, Semra Erdaği; Aydın, Arzu; Kirici, Derya

doi:10.1111/nuf.12833

Cited by 3 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 21 publications

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“…Studies have indicated that nurses' physical and emotional distress is compounded by uncertainty, fear of infection, work overload and ethical dilemmas (Fernandez et al, 2020;Koh et al, 2011). Nurses have reported dermatitis, headache, dehydration, discomfort, general body pain, giddiness and excessive sweating caused by the prolonged wearing of personal protective equipment (PPE) (Erdaği Oral et al, 2022;Jose et al, 2021). These may have impacted on nurses' ability to deliver safe and effective person-centred care.…”

Section: Sars-cov-2 Is a Severe Viral Respiratory Pandemic That Causesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Nurses' coping strategies caring for patients during severe viral pandemics: A mixed‐methods systematic review

Temeng

Hewitt

Pattinson

et al. 2023

Journal of Clinical Nursing

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BackgroundNurses play an essential role in responding to severe viral disease which bring considerable challenges to their personal and professional well‐being. This subsequently can affect the delivery of care and healthcare systems' organisational capacity to respond. Understanding nurses' experiences of these challenges will help inform healthcare policies.AimTo explore the experiences and coping strategies of nurses caring for patients during severe viral disease pandemics.DesignA mixed‐methods systematic review informed by the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) methodology.MethodsA mixed‐methods systematic review. Five electronic databases Medline, CINAHL, PsychInfo, ASSIA and Scopus were searched on 4th April 2021. Results were reported in accordance with PRISMA. The findings were analysed and reported in the context of the Self‐Regulatory Common‐Sense Model.ResultsIn total, 71 peer‐review primary research articles describing nurses' experiences of caring for patients during SARS, MERS, Swine flu H1N1, Avian influenza or SARS‐CoV‐2 / COVID‐19 published in English from 2003 to 2021 were included. We found links between nurses' perception of the health threats, their emotional reactions, and coping strategies. Perceived health threats were influenced by organisational factors including frequent changes in clinical guidelines and workplace protocols, onerous workloads and working hours, unavailability of PPE, and lack of knowledge and training in pandemic management. These impacted nurses' physical, psychological and social well‐being. Nurses also reported helpful and unhelpful coping strategies to manage the health threats.ConclusionsIt is vital for stakeholders, policymakers, government and healthcare institutions to recognise and monitor the wider impact on healthcare workers from health emergencies. In addition, support to develop and implement effective systems and individual mechanisms to offset the anticipated impact pre and post pandemics/epidemics is needed. Our findings can inform those strategies for similar future health emergencies.Relevance to Clinical PracticeNurses are often the first point of contact in providing direct care to patients, hence they are at high risk of being infected. The findings from this review can help managers and policymakers in developing programmes to enhance resilience in the nursing workforce.No Patient or Public ContributionThis was a literature review study.

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Section: Sars-cov-2 Is a Severe Viral Respiratory Pandemic That Causesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Nurses' coping strategies caring for patients during severe viral pandemics: A mixed‐methods systematic review

Temeng

Hewitt

Pattinson

et al. 2023

Journal of Clinical Nursing

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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Physical problems and fatigue level of nurses during the COVID‐19 pandemic

2022

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Purpose This study was conducted to examine the physical problems and fatigue levels experienced by nurses during the COVID‐19 pandemic. Method A descriptive and correlational design was used. The study data were collected in a state and a university hospital in the center of this province between September and December 2020. The population of the study included 460 nurses in these two hospitals, and the sample consisted of 377 volunteer nurses, which represented 81.95% of the population. Data collection tools included a “Personal Information Form,” a “Nurses' Physical Problems Questionnaire,” and the “Chalder Fatigue Scale (CFS)”. Results The mean score of the nurses on the total CFS was 20.14 ± 6.72. The mean CFS score of nurses who worked in the university hospital compared to the score of those who worked in the state hospital and the score of those who experienced health problems during the COVID‐19 pandemic compared to the score of those who did not was significantly higher (p < .05). Regarding the physical problems that the nurses experienced, the highest rate of “yes” responses was given to the question “Have you experienced sweating in PPE?” (94.2%), while the lowest rate of “yes” responses was given to the question “Have you experienced a risk of falling due to the shoe covers you wore on your feet?” (48.0%). Conclusion/Implications for Practice The CFS scores of the nurses who said “Yes” to all physical problems evaluated in this study were found to be significantly higher (p < .05). Nurses' work‐related fatigue is recognized as a threat to nurse health and patient safety. By providing adequate staffing levels to frontline nurses in the COVID‐19 pandemic, nurse managers can effectively reduce or prevent pandemic fatigue and improve their physical health.

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Prevalence of headaches in healthcare workers while using personal protective equipment during the COVID-19 pandemic: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Zarei,

Negarandeh,

Eghbali

2024

BMJ Open

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ObjectivesDuring the COVID-19 pandemic, healthcare workers (HCWs) are at a serious risk of contracting this virus. Therefore, they should use personal protective equipment (PPE) to protect themselves. Long-term use of these devices has led to many side effects, including headaches. This study investigated the prevalence of headaches related to using PPE in HCWs during the COVID-19 pandemic.DesignSystematic review and meta-analysis.Data sourcesEmbase, PubMed, Scopus and Web of Science databases were searched from December 2019 to February 2023.Eligibility criteria for selecting studiesAll cross-sectional studies that investigated the prevalence of headache complications caused by PPE were included.Data extraction and synthesisTwo researchers reviewed the articles separately and independently. The Appraisal Tool for Cross-Sectional Studies was used to address study design quality and the risk of bias in cross-sectional studies. The heterogeneity of the studies was checked with the I2statistic, and due to the high heterogeneity, the random effects model was used for synthesis. Data were analysed using Comprehensive Meta-Analysis software V.3.3.70.ResultsOut of 3218 articles retrieved for all side effects, 40 were eligible for this meta-analysis. The prevalence of headaches related to the use of PPE in these 40 studies, with a sample size of 19 229 people, was 43.8% (95% CI 43.1% to 44.6%, I2=98.6%, p<0.001). Based on the meta-regression results, no significant relationship was observed between the prevalence of headaches and variables such as year of publication, study location, sample size and quality of studies.ConclusionHeadache is one of the common side effects of PPE, which can interfere with HCWs’ performance. It is suggested that manufacturers improve the quality of their equipment while healthcare managers should equip and train staff adequately to minimise side effects, ensuring health and enhanced service delivery.PROSPERO registration numberCRD42021264874.

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Physical problems and fatigue level of nurses during the COVID‐19 pandemic

Cited by 3 publications

References 21 publications

Nurses' coping strategies caring for patients during severe viral pandemics: A mixed‐methods systematic review

Nurses' coping strategies caring for patients during severe viral pandemics: A mixed‐methods systematic review

Physical problems and fatigue level of nurses during the COVID‐19 pandemic

Prevalence of headaches in healthcare workers while using personal protective equipment during the COVID-19 pandemic: a systematic review and meta-analysis

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