Aim: To explore the emotional impact and experiences of geriatric nurses working in nursing homes and caring for patients with coronavirus 2019 disease (COVID-19). Design: This is a qualitative study with phenomenological method and data were gathered through in-depth interview. Methods: The experiences and expectations that nurses are facing during their care duties were explored via video conference, using a semi-structured interview guide. We have followed the Consolidated criteria for reporting qualitative research COREQ. Results: Interviews (N=24) were conducted with nurses from four countries (Spain, Italy, Peru, and Mexico) during April 2020. Three main categories were extracted: fear of the pandemic situation, the sense of duty and professional commitment, and emotional exhaustion. Conclusions: Regardless of the country and situation, in the face of the pandemic, dramatic situations have been experienced in nursing homes worldwide, with nursing staff feeling exhausted and overwhelmed, and reflection is urged on a global level to consider the most appropriate model of care in nursing homes.

COVID-19 is a respiratory illness caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and declared by the World Health Organization a global public health emergency. Among the severe outbreaks across South America, Uruguay has become known for curtailing SARS-CoV-2 exceptionally well. To understand the SARS-CoV-2 introductions, local transmissions, and associations with genomic and clinical parameters in Uruguay, we sequenced the viral genomes of 44 outpatients and inpatients in a private healthcare system in its capital, Montevideo, from March to May 2020. We performed a phylogeographic analysis using sequences from our cohort and other studies that indicate a minimum of 23 independent introductions into Uruguay, resulting in five major transmission clusters. Our data suggest that most introductions resulting in chains of transmission originate from other South American countries, with the earliest seeding of the virus in late February 2020, weeks before the borders were closed to all non-citizens and a partial lockdown implemented. Genetic analyses suggest a dominance of S and G clades (G, GH, GR) that make up >90% of the viral strains in our study. In our cohort, lethal outcome of SARS-CoV-2 infection significantly correlated with arterial hypertension, kidney failure, and ICU admission (FDR < 0.01), but not with any mutation in a structural or non-structural protein, such as the spike D614G mutation. Our study contributes genetic, phylodynamic, and clinical correlation data about the exceptionally well-curbed SARS-CoV-2 outbreak in Uruguay, which furthers the understanding of disease patterns and regional aspects of the pandemic in Latin America.

Nurses working at nursing homes are one of the most vulnerable populations for suffering burnout and compassion fatigue. In Spain, the concept of compassion fatigue and psychological flexibility related to stress in geriatric nurses has not been fully explored until now. It is important to analyze their situation in order to design robust coping and management strategies. The aim was to analyze the relationship between burnout, compassion fatigue and psychological flexibility in geriatric nurses in Spain. Participants included 291 nurses from 97 centers in 51 cities across Spain. Psychological flexibility (AAQ-II), burnout (MBI) and compassion fatigue (ProQOL) were evaluated. Responses were recievced from 281 nurses (91% women), with an average of 7.6 years of work experience. The MBI results were average (26.71), and the ProQOL scores were average for compassion fatigue (40.2%) and high for compassion satisfaction (70.3%), whereas for AAQ-II, the mean score was 37.34 (SD 4.21). The correlation was significant and negative for flexibility, burnout and compassion fatigue, and positive for compassion satisfaction. The ANOVA indicated a significant association between all variables (p < 0.05). We can conclude that geriatric nurses suffer from medium levels of burnout and compassion fatigue, together with high levels of psychological flexibility, which appears to act as a stress reliever, supporting compassion satisfaction.

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COVID-19 is a respiratory illness caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and declared by the World Health Organization a global public health emergency. Among the severe outbreaks across South America, Uruguay has become known for curtailing SARS-CoV-2 exceptionally well. To understand the SARS-CoV-2 introductions, local transmissions, and associations with genomic and clinical parameters in Uruguay, we sequenced the viral genomes of 44 outpatients and inpatients in a private healthcare system in its capital, Montevideo, from March to May 2020. We performed a phylogeographic analysis using sequences from our cohort and other studies that indicate a minimum of 23 independent introductions into Uruguay, resulting in five major transmission clusters. Our data suggest that most introductions resulting in chains of transmission originate from other South American countries, with the earliest seeding of the virus in late February 2020, weeks before the borders were closed to all non-citizens and a partial lockdown implemented. Genetic analyses suggest a dominance of S and G clades (G, GH, GR) that make up >90% of the viral strains in our study. In our cohort, lethal outcome of SARS-CoV-2 infection significantly correlated with arterial hypertension, kidney failure, and ICU admission (FDR < 0.01), but not with any mutation in a structural or non-structural protein, such as the spike D614G mutation. Our study contributes genetic, phylodynamic, and clinical correlation data about the exceptionally well-curbed SARS-CoV-2 outbreak in Uruguay, which furthers the understanding of disease patterns and regional aspects of the pandemic in Latin America.