Abstract
Nurses caring for patients who contract coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) have experienced significant traumas in the form of increased workloads, negative patient outcomes, and less social support system access. Nurses should be provided with information regarding early detection, coping skills and treatment for anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress syndrome (PTSS)/post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and other mental health disorders. Early intervention is important as mental health disorders can cause dysfunction, internal suffering, and in the most extreme situations, lead to death if not properly cared for. Healthcare corporations should consider providing coverage for mental health treatment for employees who experience COVID-19 traumas. With the implementation of healthy coping skills and therapeutic intervention, nurses will be able to let go of the negative impacts that the COVID-19 pandemic has caused and reintegrate into their roles as caring and entrusted health care providers. The current paper evaluates the mental health disorders encountered by nurses in the COVID-19 era based on the current medical literature and aims to provide practical coping strategies.
Highlights
According to the Gallup’s Most Honest and Ethical Professions Poll, for the last 19 years, Americans have rated nurses highly regarding honesty and ethical standards [1]
Nurses caring for patients who contract COVID-19 have experienced significant traumas in the form of increased workloads, negative patient outcomes, and less social support system access
Nurses should be provided with information regarding coping skills and treatment for anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress syndrome (PTSS)/post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and other mental health disorders
Summary
According to the Gallup’s Most Honest and Ethical Professions Poll, for the last 19 years, Americans have rated nurses highly regarding honesty and ethical standards [1]. Nurses must be supported to sustain a healthy mindset during these unprecedented times [5] This may be done through increased awareness of coping skills and professional services which can provide mental health relief related to the negative impacts of COVID-19. A study by Zhang et al in 2020 showed that a large percentage of HCP who developed PTSD during the COVID-19 pandemic experienced higher rates of anxiety (30.71%) and depression (71.26%) [4]. Krishnamoorthy et al [9] published a systematic review and meta-analysis looking at the mental health of HCP and found that stress, psychological distress, sleep quality, insomnia, anxiety, and depression were all increased secondary to COVID-19. Poor working conditions and the possibility of a COVID-19 exposure have a clear negative impact on the mental health of HCP
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