The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on ICU Healthcare Professionals: A Mixed Methods Study

Abstract

The large numbers of patients admitted to intensive care units due to COVID-19 has had a major impact on healthcare professionals. The incidence of mental health disorders among these professionals has increased considerably and their professional quality of life has suffered during the pandemic. This study aims to explore the impact of the provision of COVID-19 patient care on ICU healthcare professionals. A mixed methods study with an exploratory concurrent design was conducted between June and November 2020 in the Balearic Islands, Spain. Data were collected using a self-report online survey (n = 122) based on three validated questionnaires, and individual semi-structured in-depth online interviews (n = 11). Respondents scored 2.5 out of 5 on the moral distress scale, moderate/high on the compassion satisfaction scale, and moderate on the burnout and compassion fatigue subscales. Age was significantly and negatively related to professional quality of life but was positively related to workload and unavailability of protective equipment. Three main groups of themes relating to the impact of the pandemic emerged from the in-depth interviews: (a) clinical, (b) professional, and (c) personal and family impacts in the two waves. ICU healthcare professionals should be viewed as second victims of the COVID-19 pandemic as they have suffered significant psychological, professional, and moral harm.

Second Victims in Intensive Care—Emotional Stress and Traumatization of Intensive Care Nurses in Western Austria after Adverse Events during the Treatment of Patients

“…The following research questions were defined based on previous research in other regions of the world [ 6 , 13 , 14 , 15 ] in order to detect similarities and differences in settings in German-speaking areas: Which subjective physical and psychological effects do traumatic events in everyday working life have on intensive care nurses in Western Austria? What coping strategies have they developed to cope with their second victim traumatization?…”

Experience and views of nurses on nursing services and personal protective equipment in Covid‐19 pandemic the case of Turkey: A cross‐sectional study

“…Since 62.8% of infected nurses use quarantine leave, this positive response may have been caused by the feeling of being cared and protected by the administration of health care facilities. In some studies, it has been stated that nurses who have very busy and long working hours with the fear of being infected consider quarantine leave as a time they can rest (Labrague, 2021 ; Moreno‐Mulet et al, 2021 ). Similar to this situation, taking a leave after being infected may have caused a high level of satisfaction with the management of nursing services among nurses.…”

Adversidades Vivenciadas Por Profissionais De Enfermagem Em Unidades De Terapia Intensiva Em Tempos De Covid-19

“…Destaca-se que a interpretação dos segmentos de texto foi baseada nos pressupostos metodológicos da Análise Temática, que consiste em descobrir os núcleos de sentidos que compõem uma comunicação cuja presença ou frequência signifiquem algo para o objeto analítico (10) . Para Nessa diretiva, as formas ativas, com recorrência de até cinco vezes que, na análise dos segmentos de texto, se apresentaram correlacionadas às adversidades em investigação foram: EPI (30 ), profissional (29 ), paciente (24 ), falta (21 ), treinamento (21 ), equipe (18 ), adequado (15 ), medo (15 ), COVID-19 (14 ), assistência (12 ), cuidar (12 ), enfermagem (11 ), trabalho (11 ), cuidado (10 ), doença (9 ), apoio (8 ), CTI (8 ), difícil (8 ), pessoa (8 ), atuar (7 ), melhor (7 ), psicológico (7 ), saúde (7 ), suporte (7 ), devido (6 ), emocional (7 ), estrutura (6 ), linha de frente ( 6…”

“…Assim, com o passar do tempo, a compreensão mais detalhada sobre a doença tende a facilitar a tomada de decisões pelos enfermeiros em momentos cruciais da prática clínica, por meio da implementação de intervenções gerenciais e terapêuticas mais adequadas (22) . Esse aspecto foi apontado em pesquisa espanhola, na qual verificou-se que, no segundo semestre de 2020, o atendimento aos pacientes com COVID-19 foi facilitado pelo aumento do conhecimento sobre a doença, sua transmissão e seu manejo clínico (12) .…”