COVID-19 pandemic brings many challenges to the daily work of nurses. While carrying out professional tasks for patients infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus, nurses experience tremendous psychological pressure due to their workload in a high-risk environment. This causes severe stress and leads to occupational burnout. The purpose of this study was to assess the level of stress and occupational burnout among surveyed nurses working with patients with COVID-19. A total of 118 nurses working with patients infected with SARS-CoV-2 virus participated in the study. Among the respondents, there were 94.9% women and 5.1% men. The average age of the respondents was 38.1 +/− 2.1. The survey was conducted between April and May 2022. The research tool was a survey questionnaire, consisting of three parts: sociodemographic data and self-administered survey questionnaire containing questions about the specifics of working with COVID-19 patients. The third part was a standardized tool: the MBI Burnout Questionnaire by Christina Maslach. Participation in the study was anonymous and voluntary. Statistical analysis for independence of variables used the Chi-square test. On the other hand, coefficients based on the Phi test and Kramer’s V test, as well as non-parametric Mann–Whitney U-test (for 2 samples) and Kruskal–Wallis test (for more than 2 samples) were used to determine the strength of the relationship. During these analyses, in addition to standard statistical significance, the corresponding “p” values were calculated using the Monte Carlo method. The results obtained allow us to conclude that surveyed nurses working with COVID-19 patients are exposed to various stressors leading to occupational burnout. The vast majority of respondents, i.e., 90.7%, believe that stress is an integral part of the nursing profession and the average of MBI burnout among respondents was 55.67 +/− 9.77 pts., emotional exhaustion 24.74 +/− 6.11, depersonalization 12.42 +/− 2.99 and a sense of personal achievement 18.52 +/− 4.50 which means that only slightly more than half of the nurses surveyed noticed symptoms of occupational burnout themselves. The research has revealed that working with a patient who is positive for COVID-19 is a cause of stress and is related to experiencing symptoms of burnout in the group of surveyed nurses.

Contemporary health determinants require nurses to develop new competencies and skills while performing complex tasks in all forms of health care. The problem of rationing of care is present all over the world and usually occurs when available resources are too low to provide adequate care to all patients. The most common reasons for loss of care are shortages of nurses, use of modern treatment methods, increased demand for care by a large number of patients, and greater knowledge of patients about their rights. A questionnaire survey was conducted among 295 nurses employed in hospital wards. The survey was conducted from September to December 2020 using the standardized BERNCA (The Basel Extent of Rationing of Nursing Care) questionnaire to measure the level of rationing of nursing care. The research was hampered by the sanitation regime associated with the SARS CoV-2 pandemic. Nursing care rationing is dependent on seniority and place of work. The mean total BERNCA score of the degree of rationing of nursing care was 2.58 ± 0.96 on a scale of 0 to 4 (where 0 means “no need for it” and 4 means “often”. The median score was 2.69. The higher frequency of rationing nursing care was characteristic of those working on surgical wards. The mean score obtained by them was 2.72 ± 0.86, with the median equal to 2.88. In the case of nurses employed in non-surgical wards, the scores were 2.08 ± 1.07 and 2.28, respectively. Rationing of nursing care is dependent on seniority and work location, with a higher degree of rationing of care occurring in surgical units.

Psychosocial consequences of the coronavirus pandemic are severe for health care workers due to their higher levels of exposure. Nurses often experience tremendous psychological pressure as a result of their workload in a high-risk environment. The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic on the psychosocial burden and job satisfaction of nurses employed in long-term care. One hundred thirty-eight nurses employed in long-term care participated in the study. The respondents were 96.4% female and 3.6% male. The mean age of the respondents was 53.99 (standard deviation—4.01). The study was conducted between February and June 2021. The research tool was a standardized psychosocial risk scale questionnaire, which is a scientifically validated diagnostic tool with high reliability and accuracy coefficients. The primary tests used during the statistical analyses were non-parametric Mann–Whitney U (for two samples) and Kruskal–Wallis (for more than two samples) tests for assessing differences. During these analyses, in addition to standard statistical significance, appropriate p-values were calculated using the Monte Carlo method. Correlations between ordinal or quantitative variables were made using Spearman’s rho coefficient. The results obtained allow us to conclude that the respondents rated the characteristics present in the workplace that constitute psychosocial risks at an average level. Emotional commitment and continuance-type commitment to the respondents’ job position were also at a medium level. Respondents’ self-rated ability to work for nurses employed in long-term care during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic and commitment to patient care was high at 4.0 and 4.18, with a maximum of 5 points.

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