The impact of working in COVID-19 hospital on mental health and wellbeing: A qualitative study with nurses in a hospital in East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia

Abstract

Background The outbreak of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has impacted the lives of more than 580 million people worldwide and killed more than six million people globally. Nurses are one of the most impacted groups as they are at the frontline to fight against the virus and to save the life of everyone affected. The present study aimed to explore the impact of working in COVID-19 wards on mental health and wellbeing of nurses in the early stage of the pandemic in a hospital, in East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia. Methods A qualitative study was conducted with 22 nurses. They were recruited using the purposive sampling technique. Data collection was conducted from April to May 2022 and data analysis was guided by a qualitative framework analysis. Results The findings show that nurses experienced a range of mental health impacts including fear of being infected and infecting loved ones; fear of early death; psychological distress related to the conflict between the lack of personal protective equipment (PPE) and professionality and moral responsibility for patients; stress and worry due to public indifference and lack of role models; the negative impact of community doubt and distrust around COVID-19; and distress due to stigma and discrimination towards nurses caring for COVID-19 patients and their families. Conclusions The current findings indicate further psychological intervention programs to support nurses, especially the ones in resource poor settings and enhance their psychological resilience.