It’s What We Do: Experiences of UK Nurses Working during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Impact on Practice, Identity and Resilience

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic increased pressure on a nursing workforce already facing high levels of stress, burnout, and fatigue in the United Kingdom (UK) and internationally. The contribution of nurses to keeping the public safe was widely recognised as they met the challenges of delivering complex patient care during the healthcare crisis. However, the psychological impact of this on nurses’ health and wellbeing has been substantial, and the number of nurses leaving the profession in the UK is rising. The aim of this study was to explore the experiences of nurses working during the COVID-19 pandemic and the impact of this on their psychological health, wellbeing and resilience. The study is part of a wider project to develop and pilot an online resilience intervention for nurses during COVID-19. Five focus groups with 22 nurses were carried out online. Data was analysed thematically using the Framework Method. Four key themes relating to positive and negative impacts of working during the pandemic were identified: Rapid changes and contexts in flux; loss and disruption; finding opportunities and positive transformation; and reinforcing and strengthening identity. Implications for coping and resilience in nursing, nursing identities and workforce development are discussed.

Implementation of a Web-Based Resilience Enhancement Training for Nurses: Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial

“…Future studies could focus on evaluating mentorship-based sessions for nurses, as these have the potential to be flexibly implemented and tailored to the needs of individuals working across a range of health and social care settings. Furthermore, focus groups carried out with nurses in the participating trust indicated a need for resilience training, with nurses identifying that supportive measures to help combat workplace stressors and burnout were acutely needed [ 38 ]. This suggests that the design features, content, and format of REsOluTioN are appropriate and acceptable for use in this population and could be replicated and adapted for use in larger populations using a large-scale RCT design.…”

“…The web-based training program, Resilience Enhancement Online Training for Nurses (REsOluTioN), was based on a face-to-face resilience-enhancement training program that had been previously piloted with nurses [ 6 , 29 ]. The design of the training program was also informed by a systematic review examining the effectiveness of web-based interventions to enhance resilience in health care professionals [ 35 ] and focus groups with nurses to gather information on what they felt should be the key features of such training programs [ 38 ]. During the focus group discussions, nurses viewed web-based programs aimed at enhancing resilience positively, highlighting potential benefits around combating burnout, managing stress, regaining work-life balance, mentorship, and building networks of support.…”

Coping with psychological distress during COVID-19: a cautionary note of self-criticalness and personal resilience among healthcare workers

“…Public focus on the National Health Service's (NHS) strategies for supporting HCWs during this time has aggrandized, and central to this rhetoric is the assumption of HCWs' resilience when it comes to dealing with the stressors of their roles. This public discourse often sanctifies HCWs as "angels" or "heroes", but potentially in doing so creates a sense of being "super-human" and adds to the pressure for these individuals to perform their duty regardless of their fears or the cost to their well-being (Davey et al, 2022;Morgantini et al, 2020;Stokes-Parish et al, 2020). This emphasis on duty can lead to HCWs not prioritising their well-being in times of crisis (Davey et al, 2022).…”

“…This public discourse often sanctifies HCWs as "angels" or "heroes", but potentially in doing so creates a sense of being "super-human" and adds to the pressure for these individuals to perform their duty regardless of their fears or the cost to their well-being (Davey et al, 2022;Morgantini et al, 2020;Stokes-Parish et al, 2020). This emphasis on duty can lead to HCWs not prioritising their well-being in times of crisis (Davey et al, 2022). At the onset of the pandemic, a focus was placed on the individual resilience of HCWs and how they were able to cope with a crisis, yet little emphasis was placed on the systemic challenges.…”

Management of Emerging Health Conditions to Improve Resilience and Mental Health

“…The spread of viruses significantly impacts public health and medical care worldwide. Regarding the physical and mental issues faced by frontline medical workers, positive mental training may be used to improve their ability to regulate their emotions [ 8 ]. The pandemic has affected the sustainability of public environments and introduced health problems [ 9 ].…”