Nurses' mental workload and public health emergency response capacity in COVID-19 pandemic: A cross-sectional study.

AIMS: The aim of this study was to assess the level of mental workload of Chinese nurses through a latent profile analysis and to explore its relationship with public health emergency response capacity. DESIGN: A cross-sectional design with a convenience sample. METHODS: A convenience sample of nurses from five tertiary hospitals in Chengdu between May and December 2022. Demographic, work-related information, Nurse's version of NASA's Task Load Index Scale and Nurse's Public Health Emergency Response Capacity Scale were used in this study. RESULTS: The mean scores for mental workload and emergency response capacity for nurses were (57.19 ± 15.67) and (3.58 ± 0.77) respectively. We found that the mental workload of nurses fell into three potential categories. In addition, there were differences in psychological training and supply of epidemic prevention materials in the department among nurses with different mental workload subtypes. There was a moderate negative correlation between nurses' mental workload and public health emergency response capacity. CONCLUSION: Our results show that there is still a strong mental workload on a proportion of nurses, and enhanced psychological training and material supply support are beneficial in relieving nurses' mental workload. The better the nurses' capacity to cope with public health emergencies, the lower their mental workload. IMPACT: Nursing managers should pay ongoing attention to the mental workload status of nurses in the latter stages of a pandemic and individual differences in nurses' mental workload. In addition, nursing managers should be aware of the impact of public health emergency response capacity on nurses' mental workload. They can intervene in nurses mental workload from a new perspective. PATIENT OR PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION: 560 registered nurses participated in this study.

Levels and influencing factors of mental workload among intensive care unit nurses: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

AIM: The purpose of this systematic review was to determine the levels and influencing factors of mental workload in intensive care unit nurses. BACKGROUND: Intensive care unit nurses have a high mental workload level. To our knowledge, no meta-analytic research investigating the levels of mental workload in intensive care unit nurses and related factors has yet been performed. DESIGN: This article is a systematic review and meta-analysis. METHODS: Eleven electronic databases were searched from the database setup dates until 31 December 2022. The research team independently conducted study selection, quality assessments, data extractions and analysis of all included studies. The PRISMA guideline was used to guide reportage of the systematic review and meta-analysis. RESULTS: Seventeen studies were included. In these studies, the pooled mean score of mental workload was 68.07 (95%CI:64.39-71.75). Furthermore, subgroup analyses indicated that intensive care unit nurses' mental workload differed significantly by countries, sample size and publication year. The mental workload influential factors considered were demographic, work-related and psychological factors. CONCLUSION: Hospital administrators should develop interventions to reduce mental workload to enhance the mental health of intensive care unit nurses and nursing care quality. Hospital managers should pay attention to the mental health of nurses and guide them to correctly relieve occupational stress and reduce mental workload.

Psychological capital among clinical nurses: A latent profile analysis.

AIM: To determine the psychological capital level of nurses and explore the latent profiles of nurses regarding their psychological capital scores. BACKGROUND: The use of individual-centered analysis for the connotation of nurses' psychological capital structure is less studied and still needs to be further explored. METHODS: By the convenience sampling method, 494 clinical nurses from 7 general hospitals in Sichuan province were selected. The study was conducted from December 2022 to February 2023. Latent profile analysis was used for data analysis. We followed STROBE guidelines in this research. RESULTS: The total mean score of nurses' psychological capital is 5.17 (SD = 0.8). The following four latent profiles were identified: "poor" (4.5%), "medium" (22.9%), "well-off" (41.5%), and "rich" (31.1%). Multiple logistic regression showed that the number of hours worked per day and the number of night shifts per month were negative predictors of psychological capital, and psychological training and job satisfaction were protective factors of psychological capital. DISCUSSION: Our study found that the four profiles can be distinguished by "poor," "well-off," "medium," and "rich" levels of psychological capital. Among them, more than 70% of the nurses belonged to the well-off and rich profiles, and the number of the poor profile was the lowest. CONCLUSION: The overall psychological capital of clinical nurses is at a medium-high level. Each profile is influenced by multiple sociodemographic factors (i.e., age, working hours, monthly income, psychological training, and job satisfaction). IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING AND HEALTH POLICY: Administrators should develop enhancement strategies to improve the mental health of nurses based on the characteristics of their psychological capital profiles.

The Evolving Roles of Nurses Providing Care at Home: A Qualitative Case Study Research of a Transitional Care Team.

PURPOSE: To examine the roles of transitional care nurses in an integrated healthcare system and how the integrated healthcare system influences their evolving roles. BACKGROUND: Transitional care teams have been introduced to enable the seamless transfer of patients from acute-care to the home settings. A qualitative case study of the transitional care team was conducted to understand the changing roles of these nurses in an integrated Regional Health System (RHS) in Singapore. METHODS: A hospital transitional team of an integrated RHS was studied. Purposive sampling was used. Non-participant observations and follow-up interviews were conducted with four nurses. Data were triangulated with the interviews of two managers and three healthcare professionals, and the analysis of documents. Within-case thematic analysis was carried out. RESULTS: Three themes were identified: 'Coming together to meet the needs of all'; 'Standing strong amidst the stormy waves'; and 'Searching for the right formula in handling complexity'. These themes have explained on the atypical roles taken on by nurses in their attempts to close the gaps and meet the patients' needs. Various factors influencing the evolving roles were revealed. CONCLUSION: The roles of nurses have 'emerged differently' from their traditional counterparts. Various nursing roles have been undertaken to facilitate care integration. The findings emphasised the important balance between formal structural practices and informal processes in facilitating and supporting the nurses in their role development.

COVID-19 Related Experience, Knowledge, Attitude, and Behaviors Among 2,669 Orthodontists, Orthodontic Residents, and Nurses in China: A Cross-Sectional Survey.

Objectives: To assess the current COVID-19 related experiences, knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors among orthodontists, orthodontic residents, and orthodontic nurses in China, and to identify factors associated with their self-perceived and actual level of knowledge, as well as their willingness to treat/care for COVID-19 patients. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional online survey was conducted in China using a 37-item questionnaire developed based on previous research. A professional online survey tool (www.wjx.cn) and a social media platform (WeChat) were used to display and distribute the questionnaire. Data were collected during April 11 to 13, 2020, when most regions of China had resumed dental practice except for high-risk regions such as Wuhan. Then the data were analyzed with multivariable generalized estimating equations. Results: A total of 2,669 valid questionnaires were collected. Orthodontic services were suspended for nearly all respondents (97.8%) during the epidemic, and 68.0% had resumed work by the time they completed the questionnaire. The majority of respondents (80.2%) were confident that they understood COVID-19 related knowledge, but most of them only correctly answered less than half of the questions testing their actual level of knowledge. About two-thirds (64.1%) were willing to treat/care for patients with confirmed or suspected COVID-19. The completion of relevant training programs was significantly associated with more confidence in knowledge mastery (P < 0.001) and a higher actual level of knowledge (P < 0.001), but did not increase their willingness to treat/care for patients with COVID-19 (P = 0.235). Conclusions: Before work resumption, COVID-19-related training programs are essential for the improvement of knowledge, confidence, and preparedness of orthodontic professionals. Sufficient and proper protection should also be provided to ensure safety and reduce the psychological burden on them. Clinical Relevance: The findings can provide evidence for policy-making related to the resumption of elective dental services.

Frontline nurses' burnout, anxiety, depression, and fear statuses and their associated factors during the COVID-19 outbreak in Wuhan, China: A large-scale cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: During the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, frontline nurses face enormous mental health challenges. Epidemiological data on the mental health statuses of frontline nurses are still limited. The aim of this study was to examine mental health (burnout, anxiety, depression, and fear) and their associated factors among frontline nurses who were caring for COVID-19 patients in Wuhan, China. METHODS: A large-scale cross-sectional, descriptive, correlational study design was used. A total of 2,014 eligible frontline nurses from two hospitals in Wuhan, China, participated in the study. Besides sociodemographic and background data, a set of valid and reliable instruments were used to measure outcomes of burnout, anxiety, depression, fear, skin lesion, self-efficacy, resilience, and social support via the online survey in February 2020. FINDINGS: On average, the participants had a moderate level of burnout and a high level of fear. About half of the nurses reported moderate and high work burnout, as shown in emotional exhaustion (n = 1,218, 60.5%), depersonalization (n = 853, 42.3%), and personal accomplishment (n = 1,219, 60.6%). The findings showed that 288 (14.3%), 217 (10.7%), and 1,837 (91.2%) nurses reported moderate and high levels of anxiety, depression, and fear, respectively. The majority of the nurses (n = 1,910, 94.8%) had one or more skin lesions, and 1,950 (96.8%) nurses expressed their frontline work willingness. Mental health outcomes were statistically positively correlated with skin lesion and negatively correlated with self-efficacy, resilience, social support, and frontline work willingness. INTERPRETATION: The frontline nurses experienced a variety of mental health challenges, especially burnout and fear, which warrant attention and support from policymakers. Future interventions at the national and organisational levels are needed to improve mental health during this pandemic by preventing and managing skin lesions, building self-efficacy and resilience, providing sufficient social support, and ensuring frontline work willingness.