Mental Stress of Nurses Involved in Nursing Care of COVID-19 Patients

Abstract

Background: Among all healthcare professionals, nurses play an extraordinary role in combating COVID-19, which turned into a pandemic in a short time. Nurses are constantly faced with stressful situations that cause emotional exhaustion while managing complex care and treatment processes. Objectives: The study aimed to find out the level of mental stress of nurses involved in the nursing care of COVID-19 patients. Methodology: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among nurses who are involved in nursing care of COVID-19 patients in Shahid Sayed Nazrul Islam Medical College Hospital, Kishoreganj, and 250 Bedded District Hospital, Sunamganj located in Sunamganj of Bangladesh. A purposive sampling technique was applied and a pre-tested semi-structured interview questionnaire was used in this study. Results: A total of 382 respondents were included in this study with a mean age of 27.01 (± 2.692). The major finding of the study shows that 109 (29%) of nurses had low mental stress, 269 (70%) had moderate stress and 4(1%) had high mental stress. Conclusion: The result demonstrates working in that COVID-19 have a great impact on Nurses' physical and mental health. Providing support and basic needs to the nurses can play a vital role in maintaining the mental health of Nurses.