Nursing Workload Stress During COVID-19: A Literature Review

 

Nursing Workload Stress During COVID-19: A Literature Review

Introduction:

The COVID-19 pandemic has created unprecedented challenges for healthcare workers around the world, particularly for nurses who have been at the forefront of the response. This literature review aims to explore the impact of the pandemic on nursing workload stress, highlighting the factors contributing to increased stress levels and potential strategies to mitigate its effects.

Factors Contributing to Nursing Workload Stress:

Increased Patient Load: The surge in COVID-19 cases has resulted in a higher number of patients requiring intensive care and specialized treatment. Nurses have been faced with an overwhelming patient load, leading to increased stress and burnout. The need to provide round-the-clock care, often with limited resources, has further intensified their workload.

Lack of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE): In the early stages of the pandemic, shortages of PPE were reported in many healthcare settings. This not only posed a risk to nurses’ physical health but also contributed to their emotional distress and anxiety. The fear of contracting the virus and transmitting it to loved ones added an additional layer of stress to their workload.

Emotional Toll: Nurses have witnessed the devastating impact of COVID-19 on patients and their families. They have had to navigate difficult conversations, provide emotional support, and cope with the loss of patients. The emotional toll of witnessing suffering and death has significantly increased their workload stress.

Changes in Work Environment: The pandemic has necessitated significant changes in healthcare settings, such as reorganization of units, adaptation to new protocols, and redeployment of nurses to COVID-19 units. These changes have disrupted familiar routines and increased workload stress due to the need for rapid adaptation and unfamiliarity with new roles and responsibilities.

Mitigation Strategies:

Adequate Staffing: Ensuring adequate nurse-to-patient ratios is crucial in reducing workload stress. Allocating resources effectively and hiring additional staff can help alleviate the burden on individual nurses, allowing them to provide quality care without experiencing excessive stress.

Provision of PPE: Access to adequate and appropriate PPE is essential for protecting nurses’ physical and psychological well-being. Ensuring a consistent supply of PPE reduces anxiety and contributes to a safer work environment, thereby reducing workload stress.

Mental Health Support: Establishing mental health support services, such as counseling or debriefing sessions, can help nurses cope with the emotional toll of their work. Providing a safe space for nurses to express their feelings, share their experiences, and seek support is vital in mitigating workload stress.

Training and Education: Offering comprehensive training and education on infection prevention and control measures can enhance nurses’ confidence in managing COVID-19 patients safely. This can reduce anxiety related to patient care and contribute to a more efficient and less stressful workload.

Conclusion:

The COVID-19 pandemic has placed an immense burden on nurses, leading to increased workload stress. Factors such as increased patient load, lack of PPE, emotional toll, and changes in work environment have all contributed to this stress. However, by implementing strategies such as adequate staffing, provision of PPE, mental health support, and training and education, healthcare organizations can mitigate the impact of workload stress on nurses’ well-being. It is imperative that healthcare systems prioritize the well-being of nurses during the pandemic to ensure their resilience and ability to provide high-quality care.