The effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on front-line nurses' professional quality of life.

BACKGROUND: Front-line nurses caring for patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) experience stressful and traumatic working conditions, which may affect their professional quality of life. AIM: To identify the effect of COVID-19 on front-line nurses' professional quality of life, specifically on their levels of compassion satisfaction, burnout and secondary traumatic stress. METHOD: A descriptive, cross-sectional comparative design was adopted. Data collection tools included self-reported sociodemographic and work-related characteristics and the self-report Professional Quality of Life Scale (ProQOL). Questionnaires (n=200) were distributed by email to two groups of nurses working in a government hospital in Saudi Arabia: front-line nurses who cared for patients with COVID-19 in isolation units; and front-line nurses who cared for patients without COVID-19 in inpatient units. RESULTS: Completed questionnaires were received from 167 respondents, a response rate of 84%. Moderate levels of compassion satisfaction, burnout and secondary traumatic stress were found regardless of respondents' involvement in caring for patients with COVID-19. There was no statistically significant difference between the two groups in terms of compassion satisfaction, burnout and secondary traumatic stress. CONCLUSION: The COVID-19 pandemic presents a new challenge for front-line nurses, necessitating appropriate interventions to avoid burnout and secondary traumatic stress.

The association of mindfulness with professional quality of life and negative emotional states among critical care nurses during COVID-19 pandemic.

BACKGROUND: The recent coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has imposed severe psychological pressure on nurses. Mindfulness has been shown to be effective in improving professional quality of life (ProQOL) and reducing psychological distress in a wide range of populations and contexts. However, its role in supporting critical care nurses during the outbreak of COVID-19 has yet to be established. PURPOSE: This study explores the relationship of mindfulness with negative emotional states and ProQOL among nurses working in critical care units during COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: A cross-sectional descriptive correlational design was used. A sample of 156 critical care nurses completed self-reported measures of mindfulness, ProQOL, and negative emotional states. Multiple regressions were used to address the study purpose. RESULTS: Overall, the participants had severe anxiety, moderate depression, moderate stress, moderate burnout, moderate secondary traumatic stress, and moderate compassion satisfaction. Mindfulness was significantly and negatively associated with stress (r = - 0.230, p = .004), depression (r = - 0.190, p = .018), burnout (r = - 0.218, p = .007), and secondary traumatic stress (r = - 0.168, p = .037). Mindfulness explained 3% of the variance in depression (B = -0.19, p = .018), 3.9% of variance in stress, (B = -0.201, p = .012), 4.2% of variance in BO (B = -0.206, p = .009), and 2.2% of the variance in secondary traumatic stress (B = -0.168, t = -2.104, p = .037), controlling for demographics. CONCLUSIONS: The current study provides preliminary evidence that mindfulness can be helpful in reducing critical care nurses' psychological distress and promoting their ProQOL, and is worthy of further investigation in this population.

Knowledge, Attitude, and Practices Concerning Covid-19 Preventive Measures Among Healthcare Providers in Jordan.

Purpose: This study aims to assess the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of healthcare workers toward COVID-19 preventive measures and related factors. Methods: Descriptive, correlational, and cross-sectional design was used. A convenience sample of 140 Jordanian healthcare providers working in COVID-19 units from governmental hospitals completed the study during February-March 2021. A self-reported measure with three domains: knowledge (e.g., COVID-19 transmissions), attitudes (e.g., COVID-19 vaccination), and practices (e.g., handwashing) were used. An independent t-test was performed to assess the difference in knowledge, attitude, and practice depending on demographic and work-related variables, while Pearson r and multiple linear regression were performed to identify the relationships between the study variables and the predictors of COVID-19 preventive practices. Results: The majority of the participants had good knowledge (81.4%), good attitude (87.1%), and satisfactory practice (77.9%). Knowledge was significantly associated with attitude and practice (p < .01), and attitude was significantly associated with practice (p < .01). There was a statistically significant difference in knowledge, attitude, and practice depending on the existence of infection control policy, availability of PPE, and receiving infection control training (p < .05). Predictors of COVID-19 practice included knowledge and attitude, PPE availability, and receiving training on infection control (p < .05). Conclusion: This result might suggest that there are some gaps between knowledge, attitudes, and practices of COVID-19 preventive measures. Lack of PPE and inadequate infection control training could contribute to this gap.