The duty to care and nurses' well-being during a pandemic

Original Research: Exploring U.S. Nurses' Perceived Duty to Care During the COVID-19 Pandemic

BACKGROUND

Duty to care is both an integral concept in health care and a fundamental nursing obligation. But nurses' perceptions of duty to care can be moderated by their experiences in the practice setting. Research examining nurses' perceptions of their duty to care during the COVID-19 pandemic could shed light on how the pandemic is affecting the nursing workforce.

PURPOSE

This study aimed to examine nurses' sense of duty to care during the early months of the pandemic, using the Nash Duty to Care Scale (NDCS), and to compare the high-scoring nurses with the low-scoring nurses.

METHODS

This quantitative study used a descriptive, cross-sectional design. It was conducted among licensed RNs enrolled at two accredited nursing programs in the Northeast region of the United States. Data were collected via a demographics questionnaire and the NDCS. A two-step cluster procedure was used to categorize participants into two groups: those with high perceived duty to care (HPDC) and those with low perceived duty to care (LPDC). Independent t tests were performed to compare NDCS results between the two groups.

RESULTS

Nearly two-thirds (61%) of the participants had total NDCS scores indicating an HPDC, while 39% had scores indicating an LPDC. Of the NDCS's four subscales, perceived obligation and perceived risk were the most important in separating participants into the low- and high-scoring groups.

CONCLUSIONS

This study adds to the literature about the components that affected nurses' perceived duty to care and willingness to report to work during the early months of the pandemic. Just as nurses have a duty to care, health care organizations have an obligation to provide a safe working environment so that nurses can fulfill that duty without sacrificing personal safety. The study findings may guide health care leaders, systems, and organizations regarding how to create safer work environments that support the nurse's duty to care during disasters.

Nurses' Well-Being at Work in a Hospital Setting: A Scoping Review

The aim of this review was to analyze the scientific evidence about nurses' well-being at work in the hospital context. Well-being is present in our daily experiences, whether in a personal or professional context. Nurses are frequently put under pressure and stressed at work, which can influence their well-being. Nurses' well-being at work in a hospital setting is crucial due to its relevance to occupational health, the quality of patient care, and the identification of stress and satisfaction factors. Methods: This systematic review followed the methodological guidelines of the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI). The databases searched included CINAHL, MEDLINE, Scopus, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, LILACS, Scientific Electronic Library Online (SciELO), and the Open Access Scientific Repositories of Portugal (RCAAP). The following inclusion criteria were defined: studies in Portuguese or English; with abstracts or full texts available; with a publication date from 2018 to 2022; and research containing the identified keywords in the title (TI) or abstract (AB). To organize and synthesize the data, we used a table to extract the significant information from each included study. Results: Eight studies were included, all of them emphasizing the assessment of well-being at work and the manager's intervention to promote this well-being. We found that most studies indicate that nurses are satisfied with their work. There are several factors that can influence this positive level of well-being at work, such as interaction with management, culture, and organizational commitment. It can be concluded that nurse managers have a decisive role in promoting well-being at work.

The impact of COVID-19 pandemic on healthcare workers under the "Ten New Guidelines" in Taizhou, China

Purpose

We explored the influence of the "Ten new guidelines" on healthcare workers' preparedness, work impact, personal life impact, concerns, and support in Taizhou, China.

Methods

A hospital-based self-administered online survey was conducted to investigate the levels of COVID-19 related experience among healthcare workers in December 2022. In total, 472 out of 2080 healthcare workers (22.7 % response rate) completed the questionnaires with valid responses. Stepwise linear regression was used to investigate the independence of factors associated with preparedness, work impact, personal life impact, concerns, and support.

Results

The results revealed that working position (p < 0.001), pressure (p = 0.005), and negative affect (p < 0.001) were significantly associated with preparedness. Working position (p = 0.015), number of children (p = 0.040), working years (p = 0.019), COVID-19 risk perception (p < 0.001), work overload (p < 0.001), and negative affect (p < 0.001) were significantly associated with work impact. In addition, COVID-19 risk perception (p < 0.001), work overload (p < 0.001), pressure (p = 0.002), history of COVID-19 infection (p = 0.008), and awareness of possible infectious time (p = 0.031) were significantly associated with personal life impact. COVID-19 risk perception (p < 0.001), negative affect (p < 0.001), and work overload (p = 0.020) were significantly associated with concerns. Sex (p = 0.020) and negative affect (p = 0.016) were significantly associated with support.

Conclusion

Negative affect was the most significant factor associated with COVID-19 related questions among healthcare workers under "Ten new guidelines" during COVID-19 pandemic.

Psychometric Properties of the WHO-5 Well-Being Index among Nurses during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Cross-Sectional Study in Three Countries

Nurses' well-being has been increasingly recognised due to the ongoing pandemic. However, no validation scales measuring nurses' well-being currently exist. Thus, we aimed to validate the WHO-5 Well-Being Index (WHO-5) in a sample of nurses. A cross-sectional multinational study was conducted, and a total of 678 nurses who worked during the COVID-19 pandemic in Spain (36.9%), Chile (40.0%) and Norway (23.1%) participated in this study. The nurses completed the WHO-5, the Patient Health Questionnaire-2 (PHQ-2), the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-2 (GAD-2) and three questions about the quality of life (QoL). The WHO-5 demonstrated good reliability and validity in the three countries. Cronbach's alphas ranged from 0.81 to 0.90. High correlations were found between the WHO-5 and the psychological well-being dimension of QoL, and negative correlations between the WHO-5 and PHQ-2. The unidimensional scale structure was confirmed in all the countries, explaining more than 68% of the variance. The item response theory likelihood ratio model did not show discernible differences in the WHO-5 across the countries. To conclude, the WHO-5 is a psychometrically sound scale for measuring nurses' well-being during a pandemic. The scale showed strong construct validity for cross-cultural comparisons; however, more research is required with larger sample sizes.