Occupational stressors and coping mechanisms among obstetrical nursing staff during the COVID-19 pandemic: a qualitative study

BMC Nursing

Research

Serine Ramlawi¹  Alysha L. J. Dingwall-Harvey²  Darine El-Chaâr³  Sanni Yaya⁴  Samia Chreim⁵  Julia Dobrowolski⁶ 

[1] Clinical Epidemiology Program, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, Canada;Clinical Epidemiology Program, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, Canada;Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario Research Institute, Ottawa, Canada;Clinical Epidemiology Program, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, Canada;Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology & Newborn Care, The Ottawa Hospital, Ottawa, Canada;Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Canada;School of Epidemiology and Public Health, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Canada;School of International Development and Global Studies, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Canada;The George Institute for Global Health, Imperial College London, London, UK;Telfer School of Management, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Canada;Telfer School of Management, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Canada;Clinical Epidemiology Program, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, Canada;

关键词: COVID-19;    Health workforce;    Nurses;    Obstetrics;    Occupational stress;    Qualitative research;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s12912-023-01557-6

 received in 2023-04-04, accepted in 2023-10-08,  发布年份 2023

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundDue to heightened occupational stress throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, hospital nurses have experienced high rates of depression, anxiety, and burnout. Nurses in obstetrical departments faced unique challenges, such as the management of COVID-19 infection in pregnancy with limited evidence-based protocols and the unknown risks of the virus on pregnancy and fetal development. Despite evidence that obstetrical nurses have experienced high levels of job stress and a decrease in job satisfaction during the COVID-19 pandemic, there is less known about the working conditions resulting in these changes.Using the Job Demands-Resources (JD-R) model, this study aims to offer insight into the COVID-19 working environment of obstetrical nurses and shed light on their COVID-19 working experiences.MethodsThe study was conducted using a qualitative approach, with data collection occurring through semi-structured interviews from December 2021 to June 2022. A total of 20 obstetrical nurses recruited from the obstetrical departments of a tertiary hospital located in Ontario, Canada, participated in the study.Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim, and coded using NVivo. Data was analyzed using a theoretical thematic approach based on the JD-R model.ResultsFour themes were identified: (1) Job stressors, (2) Consequences of working during COVID-19, (3) Personal resources, and (4) Constructive feedback surrounding job resources. The findings show that obstetrical nurses faced several unique job stressors during the COVID-19 pandemic but were often left feeling inadequately supported and undervalued by hospital upper management. However, participants offered several suggestions on how they believe support could have been improved and shared insight on resources they personally used to cope with job stress during the pandemic. A model was created to demonstrate the clear linkage between the four main themes.ConclusionsThis qualitative study can help inform hospital management and public policy on how to better support and meet the needs of nurses working in obstetrical care during pandemics. Moreover, applying the JD-R model offers both a novel and comprehensive look at how the COVID-19 hospital work environment has influenced obstetrical nurses' well-being and performance.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© BioMed Central Ltd., part of Springer Nature 2023

【 图 表 】

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