RESUMO
INTRODUCTION: The COVID-19 pandemic has led to major changes in the day-to-day operations of residential care facilities. Little is known about the impact it has had on professionals working in nursing homes in Spain. This research arose from the need to explore the situation experienced during the pandemic and to delve into the experiences as narrated by professionals working in nursing homes. The aim of the RESICOVID study was to analyze the effects on professionals of the measures taken in response to the COVID-19 pandemic in nursing homes. MATERIAL AND METHOD: 31 professionals (mean age: 32.9 years; 83.8% women, in various areas of care) were interviewed. Seventy-one percent of the sample presented a diagnosis of COVID-19. The analysis was performed with the Atlas-ti v8 program. RESULTS: From the analysis of the interviews, 128 quotations were extracted, coded in the following dimensions: 1. experience of confinement; 2. perception of changes; 3. health problems; 4. cognitive and functional changes; 5. loneliness. CONCLUSIONS: Burnout, overload, lack of resources and uncertainty caused by the COVID-19 pandemic have generated feelings of fear, exhaustion, anxiety, frustration and sadness in professionals who continue to this day without sufficient resources to face the situation. The design of contingency plans for future health crises should take into account this impact on care professionals.
Assuntos
Esgotamento Profissional , COVID-19 , Esgotamento Profissional/epidemiologia , Esgotamento Profissional/etiologia , Esgotamento Profissional/psicologia , Esgotamento Psicológico , Emoções , Feminino , Humanos , Masculino , Casas de Saúde , PandemiasRESUMO
(1) Background: Long-term care facilities (LTCFs) have been harmed by the coronavirus, and older adults have remained isolated for a long time with many restrictions. The aim of this study was to measure the decline in cognitive, functional, and affective status in a care facility after the lockdown in the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic and to compare it with previous measures in order to determine if this decline was accelerated. (2) Methods: Ninety-eight participants were recruited. Data from three retrospective pre-lockdown assessments and an additional post-lockdown assessment were analyzed. Mixed ANOVA analyses were performed according to the Clinical Dementia Rating levels, considering social-contact frequency during the lockdown as a covariate. (3) Results: The cognitive and functional scores were lower and depression scores were higher after the strict lockdown, accelerating a general pattern of decline that was already present in LTCF residents. The frequency of social contact eliminated the measurement differences in the cognitive and functional scores and the group differences in depression scores. (4) Conclusions: The effects of the SARS-CoV-2 lockdown in an LTCF were mediated by the frequency of contact. Clinical implications: Preventive measures must be taken to ensure social contact with relatives and friends and reduce the negative consequences of social isolation in LTCFs.
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This pilot study aims to analyze the effectiveness of a type of non-pharmacological intervention such as the educating and training of professional caregivers on behavioral alterations and prescription of psychotropic drugs of older adults in nursing homes. One hundred and forty-five people from two nursing homes were randomized to either treatment (educational training program for healthcare professionals) or a no-treatment group. Twenty-two professional caregivers in the experimental group received 20 h of a training program. Five data collection points were collected (pre and post, and three follow-ups, all six months apart). Intervention consisted of the behavioral alterations and psychopharmacological treatment. The analysis of variance for repeated measures showed significant differences in the time-group interaction for the educational program's effectiveness in reducing behavior alterations and psycho-pharmaceuticals' record. The results show that an improvement in the educating and training of professional caregivers can reduce behavioral alterations (F3,407 = 9.29, p < 0.001, η2= 0.063) and prescription of psychotropic drugs (F2,10 = 18.90, p < 0.001, η2 = 0.117). In addition, these effects are maintained over time. Educating health professionals on ways to care for residents who present behavioral alterations may be one alternative for improving the quality of care that residents receive. Non-pharmacological interventions, besides being individualized and adapted to the needs and experiences of individuals, achieve effects that last longer at low cost. An educational program shows new alternatives to pharmacological intervention, achieving a reduction in behavioral alterations without the costs and effects that psychopharmaceuticals entail.
Assuntos
Terapia Comportamental , Cuidadores , Demência , Idoso , Demência/tratamento farmacológico , Educação , Pessoal de Saúde , Humanos , Casas de Saúde , Projetos Piloto , Psicotrópicos/uso terapêuticoRESUMO
Introducción: La pandemia por la COVID-19 ha generado grandes cambios en el funcionamiento diario de los centros residenciales; poco se sabe del impacto que ha tenido en los profesionales que trabajan en residencias de personas mayores en España. Esta investigación surge por la necesidad de explorar cuál ha sido la situación vivida durante la pandemia y profundizar en las experiencias tal y como son narradas por los profesionales que trabajan en las residencias para personas mayores. El objetivo del estudio RESICOVID ha sido analizar los efectos en los profesionales de las medidas que se tomaron en las residencias frente a la pandemia por COVID-19.Material y métodos: Se realizaron entrevistas a 31 profesionales del cuidado (media edad: 34,31 años, DS: 9,56; 83,8% mujeres). El 71% de los participantes tuvieron diagnóstico de COVID-19. El análisis fue realizado con el programa Atlas-ti v8.Resultados: Del análisis de las entrevistas se extrajeron 128 citas que fueron codificadas en las siguientes dimensiones: 1. vivencia del confinamiento; 2. percepción de cambios; 3. problemas de salud; 4. cambios en el área cognitiva y funcional; 5. soledad.Conclusiones: La sobrecarga, la falta de recursos y la incertidumbre causada por la pandemia por COVID-19 ha generado sentimientos de miedo, desgaste, ansiedad, frustración y tristeza en los profesionales que continúan a día de hoy sin recursos suficientes para encarar la situación. El diseño de planes de contingencia para futuras crisis sanitarias deberá tener en cuenta este impacto en los profesionales del cuidado. (AU)
Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic has led to major changes in the day-to-day operations of residential care facilities. Little is known about the impact it has had on professionals working in nursing homes in Spain. This research arose from the need to explore the situation experienced during the pandemic and to delve into the experiences as narrated by professionals working in nursing homes. The aim of the RESICOVID study was to analyze the effects on professionals of the measures taken in response to the COVID-19 pandemic in nursing homes.Material and method: 31 professionals (mean age: 32.9 years; 83.8% women, in various areas of care) were interviewed. Seventy-one percent of the sample presented a diagnosis of COVID-19. The analysis was performed with the Atlas-ti v8 program.Results: From the analysis of the interviews, 128 quotations were extracted, coded in the following dimensions: 1. experience of confinement; 2. perception of changes; 3. health problems; 4. cognitive and functional changes; 5. loneliness.Conclusions: Burnout, overload, lack of resources and uncertainty caused by the COVID-19 pandemic have generated feelings of fear, exhaustion, anxiety, frustration and sadness in professionals who continue to this day without sufficient resources to face the situation. The design of contingency plans for future health crises should take into account this impact on care professionals. (AU)