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.

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.