The impact of the first COVID-19 surge on the mental well-being of ICU nurses: A nationwide survey study

Hidde Heesakkers,Marieke Zegers,Margo M.C Van Mol,Mark Van Den Boogaard

doi:10.1016/j.iccn.2021.103034

Abstract

ObjectivesTo determine the impact of the first COVID-19 surge (March through June 2020) on mental well-being and associated risk factors among intensive care unit nurses. Research methodologyIn September 2020, a nationwide cross-sectional survey study among Dutch intensive care nurses was carried out to measure prevalence rates of symptoms of anxiety, depression, posttraumatic stress disorder, and need for recovery (NFR), objectified by the HADS-A, HADS-D, IES-6 and NFR questionnaires, respectively. Associated risk factors were determined using multivariate logistic regression analyses. ResultsSymptoms of anxiety, depression, and post traumatic stress disorder were reported by 27.0%, 18.6% and 22.2% of the 726 respondents, respectively. The NFR was positive, meaning not being recovered from work, in 41.7%. Working in an academic hospital, being afraid of infecting relatives and experiencing insufficient numbers of colleagues were associated with more mental symptoms, while having been on holiday was associated with reduced depression symptoms and need for recovery. ConclusionThe first COVID-19 surge had a high impact on the mental well-being of intensive care nurses, increasing the risk for drop out and jeopardising the continuity of care. Effort should be made to optimize working conditions and decrease workload to guarantee care in the next months of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Highlights

Intensive care unit (ICU) nurses, responsible for the care of critically ill patients, are used to a challenging work environment
All ICU nurses in the Netherlands were approached via the Dutch association for ICU nurses (V&VN-IC) and a non-profit organisation focusing on education of healthcare workers (HCW) in the critical care medicine (Venticare)
Participants who completed the survey had a mean age of 45 year (SD 11.4), 73.8% was female and had an average work experience of 16.2 years (SD 11.3) (Table 1), which is a representative reflection of Dutch ICU nurses (NIVEL, 2008)

Summary

Introduction

Intensive care unit (ICU) nurses, responsible for the care of critically ill patients, are used to a challenging work environment. Since the early days of intensive care medicine, it is recognized that ICU nurses are exposed to work-related stress, leading to relatively. High prevalence of symptoms of mental distress (Newlin, 1984). In ICU nurses, previous reported prevalence rates of symptoms of anxiety, depression or posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are 18%, 11% and 21%, respectively (Karanikola et al, 2015). Poor life expectancy or death of a patient, absence of patient contact, dissatisfaction from patients’ relatives, medical errors and not having a fixed working schedule are found to be associated with these mental health problems (Andolhe et al, 2015; Kawano, 2008).

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