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Nurses' Protests during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Comparative International Analysis.

ABSTRACT: Nurses play key roles in dealing with pandemics yet are often conceived solely as "technical" experts without political agency. This study conducts the first global comparative analysis of COVID-19-related protests of nurses and other frontline health workers, with a focus on the first 18 months of the pandemic. We draw on quantitative and qualitative data on nurses' protests and protest drivers. Results show that such protests were widespread: We identify 3515 events in 90 countries, with several regional hotspots existing. The most common reasons for protests were poor working conditions and insufficient workplace safety, followed by wider social issues like poverty and racism. For most of the time period under consideration, protests demanding access to vaccinations (a rarely explored phenomenon) were more widespread than anti-vaccination events. Protest frequency was highest in countries with high COVID-19-related mortality rates, high levels of human development, and strong social movements at the onset of the pandemic. Recognising the key role of nurses as political actors would help to improve health policies and to maintain a capable healthcare workforce, particularly during acute crises like pandemics.

SUBMITTER: Jacobi D

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11348237 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Nurses' Protests during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Comparative International Analysis.

Jacobi Davina D Ide Tobias T

Nursing reports (Pavia, Italy) 20240809 3

Nurses play key roles in dealing with pandemics yet are often conceived solely as "technical" experts without political agency. This study conducts the first global comparative analysis of COVID-19-related protests of nurses and other frontline health workers, with a focus on the first 18 months of the pandemic. We draw on quantitative and qualitative data on nurses' protests and protest drivers. Results show that such protests were widespread: We identify 3515 events in 90 countries, with sever ...[more]

PMID: 39189276

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Project description:Aims and objectivesThe purpose of this study was to report the psychometric properties, including validity and reliability, of the decision fatigue scale (DFS).BackgroundDecision fatigue may impair nurses' ability to make sound clinical decisions and negatively impact patient care. Given the negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on psychological well-being and the workplace environment, decision fatigue may be even more apparent among clinical nurses. Valid assessment of this condition among clinical nurses may inform supportive interventions to mitigate the negative sequelae associated with states of decision fatigue.DesignThis study was a secondary analysis of a parent study using a cross-sectional descriptive design.MethodsA convenience sample of 160 staff nurses was recruited online from across the United States. Participants completed a demographic questionnaire and subjective measures of decision fatigue, nursing practice environment scale and traumatic stress. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA), correlation coefficients and internal consistency reliability coefficients were computed to examine the DFS's validity and reliability within this sample.ResultsThe EFA yielded a single factor, 9-item version of the DFS. The DFS scores were strongly correlated with traumatic stress and moderately correlated with the nursing practice environment, and the scale displayed appropriate internal consistency.ConclusionsThis is the first known study to provide evidence of the DFS's validity and reliability in a sample of registered nurses working during the COVID-19 pandemic. The results of this study provide evidence of a reliable and valid assessment instrument for decision fatigue that can be used to measure the burden of decision-making among registered nurses.Relevance to clinical practiceGiven the relationship between traumatic stress and the nursing work environment, decision fatigue may be a modifiable target for interventions that can enhance the quality of decision-making among clinical nurses.

Project description:BackgroundEthical conflict is a problem with negative consequences, which can compromise the quality and ethical standards of the nursing profession and it is a source of stress for health care practitioners', especially for nurses.ObjectivesThe main aim of this study was to analyze Spanish critical care nurses' level of exposure to ethical conflict and its association with sociodemographic, occupational, and COVID-19-related variables. Research Design, Participants, and Research context: This was a quantitative cross-sectional descriptive study conducted among 117 nurses working in critical care units. Data collection tools were sociodemographic, occupational, and COVID-19-related questionnaires and previously validated Spanish version of Ethical Conflict in Nursing Questionnaire-Critical Care Version.Ethical considerationsWe obtained permission from the Ethics Committee and participants' informed consent.FindingsData indicates a moderate level of exposure to ethical conflicts. The most frequent ethical conflicts were related to situations about "treatment and clinical procedures." The most intensity of ethical conflicts was related to situations about "treatment and clinical procedures" and "dynamics of the service and working environment." No statistical significance was identified between the socio-demographic variables and level of exposure to ethical conflicts. However, for critical care nurses working in ICU, nurses with perceived worked stress had a higher level of exposure to ethical conflicts. Likewise, critical care nurses whose family/friends were infected with COVID-19 had a higher level of exposure.ConclusionsCritical care nurses experience a moderate level of exposure to ethical conflicts which is consistent with the results of previous studies. A deeper understanding of ethical conflicts in conflictive situations allows recognition of the situations that occur in everyday clinical practice, identification of the ethical conflicts, and facilitation of the nurses working in the challenging clinical situation.

Project description:IntroductionThe risk of getting SARS-CoV-2 infection, worries about exposing loved ones, anxiety and frustration, emotional and physical exhaustion, burn out, a feeling of being overwhelmed, and struggles and challenges with parenting are a few among many factors that affect nurses' personal lives and professional functioning. The aim of the research is to assess nurses' level of stress during the COVID-19 pandemic and their sense of self-efficacy, and to learn what coping strategies they use.Methodology/methodsThe study was carried out online and based on the diagnostic poll method, using an original survey questionnaire, the General Self-Efficacy Scale (GSES 10-40), the Mini-COPE questionnaire (0-3), and the Perceived Stress Scale PSS-10 (0-40). The respondent group was made up of nurses (n = 220) who provide health services in inpatient and outpatient health care institutions in the northeastern region of Poland. The statistical analysis was performed using the STATISTICA 13.0 package (StatSoft). The distribution of variables was checked with Shapiro-Wilk tests. The Mann-Whitney U test was used to compare two independent samples, while the Kruskal-Wallis test was used to compare more samples. The adopted statistical significance level was p < 0.05. Multivariate regression analysis was applied to determine which factors were related to the level of stress.ResultsThe mean age of the participants was 43.3 years. The vast majority were women (96.4). The mean work experience of the nurses was over 20 years (58.2%). A total of 62.3% worked directly with patients in hospitals, including 11.8% respondents working at COVID-19 units and 37.7% working at primary care institutions. The analyses show that the respondents represented a high level of stress (PSS-10 - 20.9), related to their work experience as a nurse (β -0.250, p = 0.014), the number of hours worked a month (β 0.156, p = 0.015), and self-assessed health status (β -0.145, p = 0.037). They declared an average sense of self-efficacy (GSES - 29.1), which significantly depended on the nurses' places of employment (p = 0.044). Out of stress coping strategies (Mini-COPE), the younger nurses mentioned venting (p = 0.010), instrumental support (p = 0.011), sense of humour (p = 0.013) and self-blame (0.031). Practice nurses also chose the strategy of behavioral disengagement (p = 0.032), and nurse managers chose the strategy of planning (p = 0.018).ConclusionsThe experience of the COVID-19 pandemic highlights the need to implement some strategies to protect nurses' mental health and to take extensive prevention measures in critical situations. Special attention should be given to nurses who are younger and have shorter work experience. It is also important to monitor nurses' working time and health status, and those who work at outpatient health care institutions should be given more support and information.

Dataset Information

Nurses' Protests during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Comparative International Analysis.

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Nurses' Protests during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Comparative International Analysis.

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