The effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on front-line nurses’ professional quality of life
Intended for healthcare professionals
Evidence and practice    

The effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on front-line nurses’ professional quality of life

Moayed Khamees Shaheen Research assistant, Zarqa University, Zarqa, Jordan
Nidal Fareed Eshah Professor, Zarqa University, Zarqa, Jordan
Mohammad Mahmoud Suliman Associate professor, Al al-Bayt University, Mafraq, Jordan
Mohammed Sa’d ALBashtawy Professor, Al al-Bayt University, Mafraq, Jordan

Why you should read this article:
  • To consider the effect of caring for patients with COVID-19 on front-line nurses’ professional quality of life

  • To learn about sociodemographic and work-related factors that influence front-line nurses’ professional quality of life when caring for patients with COVID-19

  • To recognise the importance of providing appropriate training and health and well-being interventions for front-line nurses during a pandemic

Background: Front-line nurses caring for patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) experience stressful and traumatic working conditions, which may affect their professional quality of life.

Aim: To identify the effect of COVID-19 on front-line nurses’ professional quality of life, specifically on their levels of compassion satisfaction, burnout and secondary traumatic stress.

Method: A descriptive, cross-sectional comparative design was adopted. Data collection tools included self-reported sociodemographic and work-related characteristics and the self-report Professional Quality of Life Scale (ProQOL). Questionnaires (n=200) were distributed by email to two groups of nurses working in a government hospital in Saudi Arabia: front-line nurses who cared for patients with COVID-19 in isolation units; and front-line nurses who cared for patients without COVID-19 in inpatient units.

Results: Completed questionnaires were received from 167 respondents, a response rate of 84%. Moderate levels of compassion satisfaction, burnout and secondary traumatic stress were found regardless of respondents’ involvement in caring for patients with COVID-19. There was no statistically significant difference between the two groups in terms of compassion satisfaction, burnout and secondary traumatic stress.

Conclusion: The COVID-19 pandemic presents a new challenge for front-line nurses, necessitating appropriate interventions to avoid burnout and secondary traumatic stress.

Nursing Management. doi: 10.7748/nm.2023.e2074

Peer review

This article has been subject to external double-blind peer review and checked for plagiarism using automated software

Correspondence

mbarahemah@aabu.edu.jo

Conflict of interest

None declared

Shaheen MK, Eshah N, Suliman M et al (2023) The effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on front-line nurses’ professional quality of life. Nursing Management. doi: 10.7748/nm.2023.e2074

Published online: 24 January 2023

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