Mental health of European ICU nurses working with COVID-19 patients: A systematic literature review
Byfält, Sonja (2024)
2024
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https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-202403255079
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-202403255079
Tiivistelmä
Sonja Byfält
Mental health of European ICU nurses working with COVID-19 patients: A systematic literature review
February,2024
Diaconia University of Applied Sciences
Degree Programme in Global Change and Community Development
Master of Health Care
The purpose of this thesis was to describe the mental health of European ICU nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic. The objective was to summarize the available research of mental health of European ICU nurses during COVID-19 so healthcare organizations could use the results to prevent mental health disorders of ICU nurses and promote their well-being at work.
The thesis was done as a systematic literature review including nine studies. Different databases were used such as PubMed, Medline, CINAHL, as well as academic search premier to collect the data and then analyzed with a content analysis method.
According to the results, the COVID-19 pandemic has affected ICU nurses' mental health in various aspects. Working during the pandemic increased anxiety and depression symptoms and was also associated with high stress levels, exceeding those before the pandemic. During the pandemic, ICU nurses experienced insomnia and poor sleep quality. Additionally, they exhibited high levels of fear of COVID-19, worrying about getting infected with the virus and infecting others, which increased their risk of mental health symptoms. Understanding the impacts that a pandemic has on ICU nurses is necessary to encourage them to remain in the workforce and ensure proper support and explore ways to provide enhanced support in future pandemics.
In conclusion, this systematic review shows that the COVID-19 pandemic has affected ICU nurses' mental health. The findings highlight increased anxiety, depression, stress levels, insomnia, poor sleep quality, fear of COVID-19, and symptoms of PTSD among ICU nurses.
Keywords: ICU nurses, COVID-19, mental health
Mental health of European ICU nurses working with COVID-19 patients: A systematic literature review
February,2024
Diaconia University of Applied Sciences
Degree Programme in Global Change and Community Development
Master of Health Care
The purpose of this thesis was to describe the mental health of European ICU nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic. The objective was to summarize the available research of mental health of European ICU nurses during COVID-19 so healthcare organizations could use the results to prevent mental health disorders of ICU nurses and promote their well-being at work.
The thesis was done as a systematic literature review including nine studies. Different databases were used such as PubMed, Medline, CINAHL, as well as academic search premier to collect the data and then analyzed with a content analysis method.
According to the results, the COVID-19 pandemic has affected ICU nurses' mental health in various aspects. Working during the pandemic increased anxiety and depression symptoms and was also associated with high stress levels, exceeding those before the pandemic. During the pandemic, ICU nurses experienced insomnia and poor sleep quality. Additionally, they exhibited high levels of fear of COVID-19, worrying about getting infected with the virus and infecting others, which increased their risk of mental health symptoms. Understanding the impacts that a pandemic has on ICU nurses is necessary to encourage them to remain in the workforce and ensure proper support and explore ways to provide enhanced support in future pandemics.
In conclusion, this systematic review shows that the COVID-19 pandemic has affected ICU nurses' mental health. The findings highlight increased anxiety, depression, stress levels, insomnia, poor sleep quality, fear of COVID-19, and symptoms of PTSD among ICU nurses.
Keywords: ICU nurses, COVID-19, mental health