The Impact of COVID-19: Nurses Occupational Stress and Strategies to Manage It
Alham Abuatiq1, Carla Borchardt
1Author Affiliations: Assistant Professor (Dr Abuatiq), College of Nursing, South Dakota State University, Brookings; and Director Professional Practice (Dr Borchardt), Avera McKennan Hospital & University Health Center, Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
Objective:
The aim of this study was to explore the occupational stress perception of nurses and how they manage it during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Background:
The management of occupational stress is a key factor in promoting nurses' well-being.
Methods:
A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted.
Results:
The top occupational stressors from the nurses' perspectives (N = 236) as measured by using an updated version of the Nursing Stress Scale (NSS) included wearing a face mask at all times in the hospital, unpredictable staffing and scheduling, not enough staff to adequately cover the unit, feeling helpless in the case a patient fails to improve, and being assigned to a COVID-19 patient. The mean stress score was 31.87. The updated NSS Cronbach's α was 0.92, and the interclass interclass correlation coefficient was 0.914.
Conclusion:
Nurse administrators are in a strategic position to develop interventions (eg, open door policy, meetings, and employee assistance programs) to assist nurses in effectively managing stress.
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