Challenges and Opportunities for Nurse Managers Working in Nepal's Level II and III COVID Hospitals

Abstract

Introduction: Following the COVID-19 outbreak, nurse managers encountered many challenges in carrying out their management duties. There were difficulties with determination and decision-making but there is yet opportunity for improvement. However, there were few studies done in this field; as a result, researchers selected this subject to find out the level of management Awareness (AWE) Challenges (CHA), and Opportunities (OPA) faced by nurse managers as a result of COVID-19, followed by an analysis of the relationship of socio-demographic characteristics such as age, marital status, experiences, and training on awareness (AWE) of the COVID-19 pandemic management. Methods: Researchers utilized a cross-sectional method and a quantitative approach in this investigation. Purposive sampling approaches were used along with self-administered questionnaires to get the data. Ninety-three nurse managers from different government hospitals in Nepal participated in this study. The validity and reliability of the instrument were examined. Both descriptive statistics and inferential statistics, such as regression analysis, were employed. Results: The finding revealed that; a maximum number of nurse managers have an average level of COVID-19 pandemic management awareness (39%), challenges faced after the COVID-19 pandemic (36%), and opportunities related to the COVID-19 pandemic (35%), respectively. However, years of work experience and training have shown a positive relationship to enhance awareness. Conclusion: The nurse managers experienced challenges and had average levels of awareness. However, they also noticed a chance in the learning opportunity. This lesson will teach managers to be ready for upcoming emergencies. Therefore, a study has shown that experienced managers and training could be useful to improve leadership in the healthcare sector.