The influence of workload during the COVID-19 pandemic on the social life of the nurses

Abstract

Background: Nurses have been the frontline fighters during the COVID-19 pandemic. This challenge has placed nurses under huge workload pressure, which has in turn affected many aspects of their lives. During the COVID-19 pandemic in Saudi Arabia, many hospitals and healthcare systems have been adversely affected. However, few studies have examined the impact of workload during the COVID-19 pandemic on nurses’ social lives. Objective: This study aimed to examine the relationship between the workload during the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on the social life of nurses. Methods: A quantitative cross-sectional study was conducted using an online questionnaire. Results: A total of 204 nurses participated in the study. There were 73.53% female and 26.47% male respondents with a mean age of 27.64 ± 10.62 years. The majority of the participants were Saudi (87.25%) and single (52.45%). The mean score of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and work pressure on nurses’ social lives was (7.31 ± 1.84) out of 10. There was found to be a significant relationship between workload during the COVID-19 pandemic and the social life of nurses. Conclusion: The study revealed how the workload in hospital during the pandemic period affected the healthcare workers’ social lives, especially nurses. Therefore, it is necessary to provide support to nurses and to know their needs during the pandemic period, which may motivate them and reduce their workload to improve their work/life balance and their performance.