Willingness to participate in front‐line work during the COVID‐19 pandemic: A cross‐sectional study of nurses from a province in South‐West China

Abstract

Aim To explore the current status of Chinese nurses’ willingness to work during the COVID‐19 pandemic and the factors that influence them. Background The demand for front‐line nurses continues to grow during the COVID‐19 pandemic, but their willingness varies significantly. Therefore, it is crucial to explore nurses’ willingness to report for front‐line work. Methods A cross‐sectional study of 1,310 nurses from six tertiary hospitals was conducted. The participants completed self‐administered online questionnaires. Results A total of 90.5% of nurses reported that they would like to voluntarily participate in front‐line work. Those with previous training, higher self‐efficacy scores, and lower perceived risk and self‐worth scores were more likely to participate in front‐line work, while nurses, who had 11–15 years of work experience and were worried about their family and the lack of family support, were less likely to be involved in front‐line work. Conclusion This study found that the vast majority of nurses were willing to participate in front‐line work and affirmed the positive effects of previous infection prevention training, self‐efficacy and self‐worth. Implications for Nursing Management This research emphasizes the necessity of infection prevention training and provides evidence for further emergency workforce deployment and incentives.

Barriers and Facilitators of Nurses’ and Physicians’ Willingness to Work during a Respiratory Disease Outbreak: A Mixed-Methods Systematic Review

“…The included manuscripts were published between 2003 and 2021. As shown in Table 1 , studies were conducted in various countries, including Australia ( n = 4) [ 8 , 22 , 23 , 24 ], Bangladesh ( n = 1) [ 25 ], Canada ( n = 1) [ 26 ], China ( n = 7) [ 2 , 7 , 27 , 28 , 29 , 30 , 31 ], Georgia ( n = 1) [ 32 ], Hong Kong ( n = 1) [ 33 ], Nigeria ( n = 1) [ 34 ], Pakistan ( n = 1) [ 35 ], Philippines ( n = 1) [ 36 ], Qatar ( n = 1) [ 37 ], South Korea ( n = 2) [ 38 , 39 ], Taiwan ( n = 3) [ 4 , 40 , 41 ], Turkey ( n = 1) [ 42 ], USA ( n = 3) [ 5 , 43 , 44 ], and Yemen ( n = 1) [ 15 ]. Among the 29 studies reviewed, 19 studies included nurses only [ 4 , 5 , 8 , 22 , 27 , 28 , 29 , 30 , 31 , 33 , 36 , 37 , 38 , 39 , 40 , 41 , 42 , …”

“…Among the 29 studies reviewed, 19 studies included nurses only [ 4 , 5 , 8 , 22 , 27 , 28 , 29 , 30 , 31 , 33 , 36 , 37 , 38 , 39 , 40 , 41 , 42 , 43 , 44 ], 6 included physicians only [ 23 , 24 , 25 , 26 , 34 , 35 ], and 4 included both nurses and physicians [ 2 , 7 , 15 , 32 ]. A total of 19 studies were conducted during an outbreak or pandemic, such as the SARS outbreak ( n = 2) [ 4 , 41 ], the H1N1 influenza pandemic ( n = 3) [ 5 , 33 , 43 ], the Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) outbreak ( n = 1) [ 39 ], and the COVID-19 pandemic ( n = 13) [ 2 , 7 , 8 , 25 , 27 , 28 , 29 , 30 , 31 , 35 , 36 , 37 , 42 ]. One study was conducted to evaluate the high possibility of an avian influenza (AI) outbreak [ 40 ].…”

“…Similarly, nurses who were older than 40 years were less willing to work compared with nurses aged 20–29 years [ 28 ]. In terms of the duration of professional experience, nurses who had worked for 11–15 years were less willing to participate in frontline pandemic work than nurses with 21 or more years of experience [ 31 ]. The findings of another research study supported the finding that senior nurses were more likely to report willingness to combat COVID-19 at the professional frontline [ 28 ].…”

“…Nurses and physicians with high self-efficacy were more likely to work during an influenza pandemic [ 15 ]. Those who were confident in their knowledge of the risks of COVID-19 and how to protect themselves and their patients from infection reported that they would care for COVID-19 patients [ 7 , 25 , 31 , 37 ].…”

Nurses Who Are More Willing to Participate in the Fight against COVID-19: Evidence from China

“…Previous studies have been inconsistent regarding the association of professional experience with nurses’ willingness to participate in fighting the epidemic [ 12 , 32 ]. The results of multiple logistic regression analysis showed that a predictor was not professional experience, but rather professional title.…”