Psychological preparedness for pandemic (COVID-19) management: Perceptions of nurses and nursing students in India

Introduction The growing COVID-19 pandemic has posed a great threat to millions of people worldwide. Nurses and nursing students are an important group of health professionals who are most likely to face many challenges in this unprecedented scenario. The present study aimed at exploring nurses’ and nursing students’ perception of psychological preparedness for the pandemic (COVID-19) management. Materials & methods The study employed a quantitative cross-sectional online survey research design. Purposive sampling was used with an attempt to represent the entire nurses (i.e. nursing officers, nurse administrators and nursing teachers) and nursing students’ group of India. The survey link including the questionnaires was shared to their email ID and they were invited to participate in the study. Data were collected using Psychological Preparedness for Disaster Threat Scale (PPDTS)–Modified, General Self Efficacy (GSE) Scale, Optimism Scale and Brief Resilient Coping Scale (BRS). Totally 685 responses were received and 676 forms were completed which were analyzed using SPSS software (version 24). Results The mean age of the subjects was 31.72±9.58 years. Around 20% of the subjects previously had some kind of psychological training and 4% of the subjects had taken care of persons with COVID-19. Findings revealed that mean score for PPDTS, GSE, BRCS and Optimism was 73.44±10.82, 33.19±5.23, 16.79±2.73 and 9.61±2.26 respectively indicating that the subjects had moderate level of psychological preparedness, self-efficacy and resilience but higher level of optimism. Psychological preparedness, self-efficacy, optimism and resilience were positively correlated to each other. Self- efficacy, optimism, and resilience emerged as predictors of psychological preparedness. Conclusion The findings suggested that self-efficacy, optimism and resilience can be considered as predictors for psychological preparedness in pandemic management. Appropriate training could influence self-efficacy while programs addressing resilience and coping may strengthen psychological preparedness which can help in further management of ongoing pandemic.

The Influence of the Supervision of the Head on the Performance of Nurses in the Medan Hajj General Hospital

A study conducted by the Directorate of Nursing Services, Ministry of Health of the Republic of Indonesia (2011) found that the nursing services provided by nurses to patients had not reached the set target, namely a minimum figure of 75% of the nurse's performance was said to be good.This type of research is quantitative, with adesign cross-sectional which aims to see the effect of headroom supervision on the performance of nurses in the inpatient room of the General Hospital Hajj Medan in 2020. The sampling technique used is proportioanl stratified random. sampling. Data collection using primary data by distributing questionnaires to the nurse administrators and secondary data obtained from the hospital, namely the hospital profile. Data analysis used Chi square test (α = 0.05) and multiple linear regression.The results showed that the variables that influence the performance of nurses are planning (p = 0.000), guiding (p = 0.045), monitoring (p = 0.000), evaluation (p = 0.002), recording and reporting (p = 0.000). The variables that did not affect the nurse's performance were organizing (p = 0.382) and directing (p = 0.065). In conclusion, the most influential variable is recording and reporting with the highest coefficient value, amounting to 1.674 with a positive value. It is recommended that the head of the room carry out supervision in a programmed, scheduled manner, in accordance with the standards and principles of its implementation and optimize recording and reporting in supervision activities.

Psychological preparedness for pandemic (COVID-19) management: Perceptions of nurses and nursing students in India

Introduction: The growing COVID-19 pandemic has posed a great threat to millions of people worldwide. Nurses and nursing students are an important group of health professionals who are most likely to face many challenges in this unprecedented scenario. The present study aimed at exploring the perception of nurses and nursing students regarding psychological preparedness for the pandemic (COVID-19) management. Materials & Methods: The study employed a quantitative cross-sectional online survey research design. Purposive sampling was used with an attempt to represent the entire nurses (i.e. nursing officers, nurse administrators and nursing teachers) and nursing students group of India. The survey link was shared to their email ID and they were invited to participate in the study. Data were collected using Psychological Preparedness for Disaster Threat Scale (PPDTS)-Modified, General Self Efficacy (GSE) Scale, Optimism Scale and Brief Resilient Coping Scale (BRS). Totally 685 responses were received and 676 forms were completed which were analyzed using SPSS software (version 24). Results: The mean age of the subjects was 31.72 (SD=9.58) years. Around 20% of the subjects previously had some kind of psychological training and 4% of the subjects had taken care of persons with COVID-19. Findings revealed that mean score for PPDTS, GSE, BRCS and Optimism was 73.44 (SD=10.82, 33.19 (SD=5.23), 16.79 (SD=2.73) and 9.61 (SD=2.26) respectively indicating that the subjects had moderate level of psychological preparedness, self-efficacy and resilience but higher level of optimism. Psychological preparedness, self-efficacy, optimism and resilience were positively correlated to each other. Self- efficacy, optimism, and resilience emerged as predictors of psychological preparedness. Conclusion: The findings suggested that self-efficacy, optimism and resilience can be considered as predictors for psychological preparedness in pandemic management. Appropriate training could influence self-efficacy while programs addressing resilience and coping may strengthen psychological preparedness which can help in further management of ongoing pandemic.

Disrupting Rhythms: Nurse Education and a Pandemic

At times of perceived rapid and significant change, such as the world has experienced with the current COVID-19 pandemic, the unrepeatable ebb and flow of the paradoxical rhythms inherent in humanuniverse patterning seem to come to the forefront of awareness. What was previously known and familiar seemingly disintegrated in the emergence of the unfamiliar experience of a global quarantine. While difficulties abounded across the discipline of nursing, these challenges created new opportunities for visioning anew in thinking beyond the restrictions of the COVID-19 pandemic. A challenge is presented to nurse administrators and faculty charged with preparing the next generation of nurses to meet the challenges of an unknowable future by thinking beyond the traditional boundaries of classroom and clinic to co-create new ways of living the teaching-learning mission of nurse education programs.

Exodus of Nurses in a Tertiary Government Hospital: Nursing Service Workforce Perspectives

Objectives: The purpose of the study was to determine the perspectives of the Nursing service workforce on the exodus of nurses occurring at a government tertiary hospital and their interventions. The outcome of the study served as basis for recommendations to the Human Resource Management of the hospital. Specifically, the study answered the following questions:1.What are the perspectives of the nurse administrators on the exodus of nurses in terms of:1.1.staff replacement;1.2.scheduling of duties;1.3.work assignment;1.4.scheduling of leaves;1.5.supervision;1.6.staff promotion; and1.7.budget needs.2.What are the perspectives of the staff nurses on the exodus of nurses in terms of:2.1.work load;2.2.competence;2.3.promotion and career path; and2.4.nursing administrators’ functions.3.What are the perspectives of the nursing attendants on the exodus of nurses in terms of:3.1.own workload;3.2.nurses’ work load;3.3.nurses’ competence;3.4.nurses’ promotion and career path;3.5.its affectations on nursing administrators’ functions?4.What interventions have been put in place to cope with the affectations of the exodus of nurses as perceived by:4.1.nurse administrators;4.2.staff nurses; and4.3.nursing attendants? Methods:The qualitative study utilized the nursing service workforce of Zamboanga City Medical Clinic, Zamboanga City, Philippines which consists of 20 nurse supervisors, 95 staff nurses, and 41 nursing attendants. A structured interview guide was used. Findings and Conclusion:The nurse administrators perceived that the exodus of nurses affected their work as it took time to replace staff. Due to the lack of personnel, scheduling of duties was difficult. They acted as relievers or went “on call” or as “trouble shooters.” Granting of leaves was difficult and more supervision was needed over the new hires. However, there was a greater chance of staff nurse promotion. More budget was needed for hiring of contractual health workers to augment the nursing workforce.The staff nurses also perceived an increase in their work load. Although the senior nurses were competent, the increase in patient and area loads made them less effective, having less time for patient care. However, the staff nurses had more chances of getting promoted.Some nursing attendants, likewise, perceived an increase in their work load because they worked with the staff nurses as a team. Others, however, claimed that they were not affected of the exodus since they have different functions and responsibilities. There is an increase in the workload for the nursing service workload due to nurse migration while replacement process is underway. Volunteers and contractual health workers were utilized to augment the workforce. Staff promotion is a welcome event caused by the vacancies due to the resignation of employees.The exodus of nurses adversely affected the financial status, system and operations of the hospital. However, the nursing attendants were not affected because they maximized the volunteer and contractual workers to augment the workforce.Recommended citation:Gonzales, M. G. M. & Amparado, M. A. P. (2009, March). Exodus of Nurses in a Tertiary Government Hospital: Nursing Service Workforce Perspectives. 2009 Southwestern University Research Congress, 1(1), 35-37.

A Survey of COVID-19 Preparedness Among Hospitals in Idaho

Background:SARS-CoV-2 has been implicated in the largest recorded coronavirus outbreak to date. Initially, most COVID-19 cases were in China, but the virus has spread to more than 184 countries worldwide, and the United States currently has more cases than any other country.Objective:With person-to-person spread expanding in the United States, we describe hospital preparedness for managing suspected and confirmed COVID-19 patients.Design:Cross-sectional survey focused on various elements of respiratory disease preparedness.Setting:Critical access hospitals (CAHs) and acute-care hospitals (ACHs) in Idaho.Methods:The electronic survey was sent to infection preventionists (IPs) and nurse administrators in 44 hospitals in Idaho.Results:Overall, 32 (73%) hospitals responded to the survey. Participating facilities reported their preparedness with respect to existing, formalized structures for managing infectious disease incidents—specifically COVID-19—as well as availability of resources, such as isolation rooms and personal protective equipment, for safely managing suspected and confirmed COVID-19 cases.Conclusions:Hospitals covered by the survey had varying levels of preparedness for managing COVID-19 cases, with differences across the various categories of interest in this study. Although the study reveals strengths, including in application of emergency management and infection control frameworks, it also suggests that other areas, such as consistent implementation of federal guidelines and requirements for infection prevention, are potential areas for strengthening preparedness for SARS-CoV-2 and other respiratory pathogens with pandemic potential.

Development and Psychometric Assessment of Triage Nurses' Professional Capability Questionnaire in Emergency Department

Background: Evaluation of triage nurses' professional capability is integral to identifying areas of professional development and nurses' educational needs, thus the need for valid instruments for assessment of professional capability. The present study aims to develop and measure the reliability and validity of a triage nurses' professional capability questionnaire. Methods: The present study is an exploratory work of research conducted in two stages: in the first stage (the qualitative phase), through conventional content analysis, the concept of professional capability in triage nurses was defined and the items of the questionnaire were developed. In the second stage (the quantitative phase), the psychometric properties of the questionnaire were assessed through analyses of its face validity, content validity, construct validity, internal homogeneity, and consistency. Results: The primary item pool contained 90 items while the final scale consisted of 35 items. The S-CVI/Ave of the questionnaire was found to be 0.96. An exploratory factor analysis showed the factor loading of the items to be between 0.478 and 0.897, all of which values were significant, and the three dimensions introduced in the main instrument were verified with acceptable values. The overall interclass correlation of the instrument was found to be 0.90. The reliability of the instrument was assessed in terms of its internal homogeneity where the Cronbach's alpha of the entire instrument was found to be 0.89. Conclusions: The results show that the questionnaire developed for assessment of triage nurses' professional capability is sufficiently reliable and valid and can be employed by nurse administrators toward evaluation of triage nurses' professional capability.

Influence of Organizational Issues on Nurse Administrators’ Support to Staff Nurses’ Use of Smartphones for Work Purposes in the Philippines: Focus Group Study

Background Studies show that nurses use their own smartphones for work purposes, and there are several organizational issues related to this. However, it is unclear what these organizational issues are in the Philippines and the influence they have on nurse administrators’ (ie, superiors) support to staff nurses’ (ie, subordinates) use of smartphones for work purposes. Objective Drawing from the Organizational Support Theory (OST), this study aimed to identify organizational issues that influence nurse administrators’ support to staff nurses’ use of smartphones for work purposes. Methods Between June and July 2017, 9 focus groups with 43 nurse administrators (ie, head nurses, nurse supervisors, and nurse managers) were conducted in 9 tertiary-level general hospitals in Metro Manila, the Philippines. Drawing from OST, issues were classified as those that encouraged or inhibited nurse administrators to support nurses’ use of smartphones for work purposes. Results Nurse administrators were encouraged to support nurses’ use of smartphones for work purposes when (1) personal smartphones are superior to workplace technologies, (2) personal smartphones resolve unit phone problems, and (3) policy is unrealistic to implement. Conversely, issues that inhibited nurse administrators to support nurses’ use of smartphones for work purposes include (1) smartphone use for nonwork purposes and (2) misinterpretation by patients. Conclusions Nurse administrators in the Philippines faced several organizational issues that encouraged or inhibited support to staff nurses’ use of smartphones for work purposes. Following OST, the extent of their support can influence staff nurses’ perceived organizational support on the use of smartphones for work purposes, Overall, the findings highlight the role and implication of organizational support in the context of smartphone consumerization in hospital settings, especially in developing countries.