Nurses’ Work Environment during the COVID-19 Pandemic in a Person-Centred Practice—A Systematic Review

Abstract

The work environment and especially the psychosocial work environment influence the mental and physical well-being of employees. The aim of this study was to identify and analyse the state of knowledge regarding nurses’ work situation, health, and person-centred work during the COVID-19 pandemic through a systematic review. Methods: Systematic Review, nine included articles. The theoretical swAge model was used as the framework in a deductive content analysis. Results: The result was presented in the nine determinate areas from the swAge model and showed that all nine determinate areas of the swAge model were of importance to both the nurses’ sustainable work situation during the COVID-19 pandemic and to person-centred care. The COVID-19 pandemic has had a negative effect on nurses’ health, both physically but especially psychologically, with high levels of depression, anxiety, and burnout. Nurses experienced a lack of control and support from organizations. They had to work with limited resources and sometimes care for patients beyond their expertise. Conclusion: There is a further need for more studies that address person-centredness from an organisational perspective with the intention to develop strategies and measure activities on how to make the nurses’ work situation more sustainable, and to increase their ability to give more person-centred care.

Personality Factors as Predictors in Burnout Level Changes for Surgical Area Nurses

“…Knowledge of the psychological profiles of nurses prone to developing burnout could help managers anticipate the problem and provide early intervention by promoting active coping strategies, problem-solving skills training and psychological empowerment therapies [ 42 , 43 , 44 ]. Improving the mental health of nurses will allow them to be more efficient in their work, and therefore the quality of person-centered care will increase [ 45 ].…”

The Importance of Monitoring the Psychological Wellbeing and Mental Health of Nursing Staff for Sustainable Management

“…Among the main factors that have a negative impact on quality and wellbeing are stress [10], excessive workload and lack of time [11][12][13], lack of social support [14,15], infectious disease exposure [16], exposure to violence or work-related threats [17], lack of sleep (shift work) [18], ambiguities and conflicts in the workplace [19], lack of adequately trained staff [20,21], lack of career opportunities, work with terminally ill patients, facing death [22,23], lack of incentives [24], poor work organization [25], workplace relationships [26], poorly developed teamwork [27], work-life balance [28,29], and conflict between individual and organizational values [30]. Job dissatisfaction has impacted work-related quality of life, especially over the last two years [31]. The sustained pressure nurses have experienced during the pandemic negatively affects their mental and physical health.…”

Nurses’ Work-Related Mental Health in 2017 and 2020—A Comparative Follow-Up Study before and during the COVID-19 Pandemic

“…According to the World Health Organization (WHO) [ 7 ], one out of six of the world’s nurses are expected to retire in the next 10 years. Several countries experienced a lack of healthcare workers prior to the pandemic and many nurses are considering leaving the profession [ 10 ]. There is a serious nursing shortage in most European countries, which is insufficient to meet current healthcare demands [ 11 , 12 ].…”

“…Burnout may lead to adverse outcomes, such as medical errors, suicide, depression and absenteeism [ 23 , 24 ]. It is known that stress and burnout are factors that can contribute to a decreased mental health [ 10 , 25 ]. The ICN [ 26 ] states that long and stressful shifts severely impact nurses’ mental health, resulting in nurses leaving or planning to leave the profession.…”

“…Problems within the nurses’ working environments are described as concerns over inadequate staffing, ability to provide safe care, working long hours with high levels of fatigue and a sense of not being valued or involved in decision-making processes concerning patients [ 34 , 35 , 36 ]. Mental ill health has, in previous studies, been associated with different factors, such as long hours worked, work overload and work pressure, lack of control over work, lack of participation in decision making, poor social support as well as poor support from managers and an unclear work role [ 10 , 28 , 37 ]. Repeated exposure to stressful patient-related situations makes nurses especially susceptible to stress-related outcomes, such as emotional exhaustion and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) [ 38 ].…”