School of Nursing, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.
Johns Hopkins Center for Health Equity, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
J Nurs Scholarsh. 2023 Jan;55(1):112-122. doi: 10.1111/jnu.12820. Epub 2022 Oct 8.
To explore the personal and work-related stressors of healthcare workers in Puerto Rico and the organizational support they received during the pandemic.
We used a qualitative descriptive design and from April - November, 2021, conducted semi-structured individual interviews with Puerto Rican frontline healthcare workers (n = 12) and supervisors (n = 5).
Thematic analysis revealed five major themes: (a) Organizations' response to COVID-19; (b) increased complexity of patients; (c) intensified work and psychological demand for nurses; (d) overwhelmed and overworked; and (e) recommendations for healthcare leadership. Participants explained that their organizations' responses to COVID-19 were insufficient for meeting the demands and acuity of the patients. Closure of outpatient services contributed to people presenting to hospitals with exacerbated chronic conditions - especially the elderly. With COVID-19 precautions prohibiting family visitation, nurses became responsible for total care, including emotional support of patients. In addition, the shortage of staff contributed to nurses assuming greater workloads, feeling overwhelmed and overworked, and healthcare worker resignations. Given their experiences, healthcare workers recommended that healthcare leadership show more appreciation for staff, demonstrate empathy, include frontline workers in decision-making, and provide mental health resources for staff.
This study with Puerto Rican frontline workers and supervisors uncovers the multiple stressors experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic. Our findings underscore the need for prioritizing the well-being of healthcare workers, preparing healthcare leadership on how to support staff, and mandating nurse-to-patient ratios.
Healthcare workers explained the barriers they experienced for providing quality care to their patients. They also presented recommendations for healthcare leadership to facilitate supporting frontline workers, which ultimately contributes to optimal patient care.
探索波多黎各医护人员的个人和工作压力源以及他们在大流行期间所获得的组织支持。
我们采用定性描述性设计，于 2021 年 4 月至 11 月，对波多黎各一线医护人员（n=12）和主管（n=5）进行了半结构化的个人访谈。
主题分析揭示了五个主要主题：（a）组织对 COVID-19 的反应；（b）患者复杂性增加；（c）护士工作和心理需求加剧；（d）不堪重负和劳累过度；以及（e）对医疗保健领导层的建议。参与者解释说，他们的组织对 COVID-19 的反应不足以满足患者的需求和病情的严重程度。门诊服务的关闭导致患有慢性疾病恶化的人到医院就诊-尤其是老年人。由于 COVID-19 的预防措施禁止家属探视，护士负责全面护理，包括对患者的情感支持。此外，工作人员短缺导致护士承担了更大的工作量，感到不堪重负和劳累过度，以及医护人员辞职。鉴于他们的经验，医护人员建议医疗保健领导层更多地感谢员工，表现出同理心，让一线工作人员参与决策，并为员工提供心理健康资源。
这项针对波多黎各一线工作人员和主管的研究揭示了在 COVID-19 大流行期间经历的多种压力源。我们的研究结果强调了优先考虑医护人员福祉的必要性，为医疗保健领导层提供支持员工的方法，并规定护士与患者的比例。
医护人员解释了他们在为患者提供优质护理方面所面临的障碍。他们还提出了对医疗保健领导层的建议，以促进对一线工作人员的支持，这最终有助于为患者提供最佳护理。
