Parameters affecting the nursing staff job satisfaction during the COVID-19 pandemic: a study from the region of Thessaly (Greece)

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Background: Nursing is a major contributor to patient health outcomes, while job satisfaction in the field of healthcare is a factor that directly influences job performance and the quality of care provided to patients. Aim: The aim of this study was to investigate the level of professional satisfaction of the nursing staff in five public hospitals of the region of Thessaly (Greece) during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Methodology: Data collection was done through an online questionnaire. The data collection was conducted over a period of four months, from May to September 2022, during the COVID-19 pandemic. Results: This is a synchronous, descriptive study with a sample of 750 members of the nursing staff. Women constituted 85.6% of the participants, while 42% and 26.5% of the employees were aged 41-50 and 51-65 years, respectively. The majority (66%) of the participants were nurses, 20.7% were nursing assistants, 16.3% held postgraduate qualifications, and 27.7% had served for 19-24 years. Participants experienced a moderate level of overall professional satisfaction. Of the participants, 79.5% had previously tested positive for COVID-19 and almost all (98.1%) had received the vaccine. Conclusion: During the COVID-19 pandemic, psychological, social, and physical stressors increased in an already stressful job, such as that of the nursing staff. Facing death, workload, fear, shortage of staff, and exposure to the risk of infection – all have affected job satisfaction. The existence of such dependencies should force the management to implement educational interventions in order to increase awareness in the nursing staff, with the ultimate aim of improving working conditions (that were considered inadequate) in a global public health crisis such as a pandemic.