Working experiences of nurses during the Middle East respiratory syndrome outbreak

Abstract

This study showed that creating a supportive and safe work environment is essential by ensuring adequate nurse staffing, supplying best-quality personal protective equipment, and improving communication to provide the quality of care during infection outbreak.

Health care workers’ perceptions and reported use of respiratory protective equipment: A qualitative analysis

“…We conducted one of the few large, in-depth, qualitative studies of RPE use in hospital settings. 18,19 In 12 focus groups, spanning 4 hospitals, with RNs and NAs, participants described 2 types of nonadherence. One was of rapidly evolving situations in which HCWs were caught off guard, and unable to immediately don RPE.…”

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

“…Employers can implement several practical steps to minimise the burden on clinical staff, and recommendations were similar regardless of study quality. The most consistent findings were the need for clear communication, 12 56 redesigning procedures that pose high risks for spread of infections, 34 67 and reducing the density of patients on wards. 34 67 Supervisors need to consider staff based factors when allocating duties, particularly if staff are redeployed to meet increasing clinical demand.…”

“…35 55 In addition, staff caring for affected patients should be rostered to appropriate work shifts with regular breaks. 12 40 43 During breaks, staff should be provided with food and other daily living supplies, 13 22 43 with the possibility of video contact with families to alleviate concerns. 22 Some staff might require alternative accommodation to reduce the risks of infecting their families.…”

“…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…”

Hand hygiene and the novel coronavirus pandemic: the role of healthcare workers

“…Most healthcare-acquired infections could be avoided by well-trained nurses with appropriate hand hygiene compliance and use of protective equipment (17). In order to ensure safety and quality of care, having adequate number of nursing staff and access to equipment is crucial (18). The growing rate of nosocomial transmission of COVID-19 magnifies the global demand to implement IPC more effectively in all healthcare settings (2, 6).…”