Work stress and perceived organisational support on young Korean nurses' care for COVID-19 patients

Evidence of organizational support in hospitals in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic: scoping review

OBJECTIVE

To map evidence of organizational support for healthcare professionals who worked in hospitals during the pandemic.

METHOD

This is a scoping review, based on the framework established by Joanna Briggs Institute and the PRISMA-ScR protocol, registered in the Open Science Framework, under DOI: 10.17605/OSF.IO/2P7B4. Materials that presented evidence of organizational support measures offered to hospital healthcare professionals in the context of the pandemic were included. The databases CINAHL (Ebsco), EMBASE (Elsevier), LILACS (VHL), PubMed (NLM/NCBI), Science Direct (Elsevier), Academic Search Premier (Ebsco), PSYCiNFO (APA), SCOPUS (Elsevier), in addition to official websites of leading healthcare institutions with publications on the topic.

RESULTS

After pre-selection of 716 materials, 60 studies were included; whose results addressed the topics: financial support, in-service education, material resources and physical structure, psychological support, the role of leadership, and other institutional support measures.

CONCLUSION

The pandemic scenario brought advances in relation to organizational support measures adopted in hospital institutions, highlighting the importance of investments in workplace support policies, not only during the pandemic period. Such actions can positively contribute to the provision of safe care for workers and patients.

Strategies to Ensure Effective and Safe Patient Care in Intensive Care Units During Biological Events: A Delphi Study

Introduction

Throughout history, humanity has faced numerous biological threats that have resulted in catastrophic epidemics. The challenges (Fear, uncertainties, failure of care, etc) posed by epidemics necessitate the implementation of a variety of strategies to contain them. This study was conducted to identify strategies to ensure effective and safe patient care during biological events.

Methods

This study is phase of a larger research project that used the Delphi method in its third stage. The objective was to address the need for effective and safe care in intensive care units (ICUs) during biological events like the COVID-19 pandemic. The Delphi questionnaire was constructed using insights from the first two phases of the study: the qualitative component and the integrative review phase. The Delphi method was implemented over three rounds, with experts selected through purposive sampling. The Kendall coefficient measured the degree of consensus among the experts' opinions.

Results

The strategies identified for the provision of effective and safe patient care during biological events were categorized into 10 main categories, which were further divided into related subcategories.

Conclusion

Identifying and implementing strategies to improve care in intensive care units can improve patient care during crises, such as new disease outbreaks. By identifying these strategies, biological events similar to the COVID-19 pandemic can be managed more effectively. Further research is warranted to explore strategies to improve patient care in other healthcare sectors.

The impact of perceived organizational justice on young nurses' job performance: a chain mediating role of organizational climate and job embeddedness

BACKGROUND

The level of nurses' job performance has always been of great concern, which not only represents the level of nursing service quality but is also closely related to patients' treatment and prognosis. The aim of this study was to analyze the relationship between perceived organizational justice and job performance and to explore the mediating role of organizational climate and job embeddedness among young Chinese nurses.

METHODS

A cross-sectional survey of 1136 young nurses was conducted between March and May 2023 using convenience sampling. Data were collected using the Job Performance Scale, Organizational Justice Assessment Scale, Nursing Organizational Climate Scale, and Job Embeddedness Scale, and the resulting data were analyzed using SPSS 25.0 and AMOS 26.0.

RESULTS

There was a significant positive correlation between job performance and perceived organizational justice (r = 0.477, p < 0.01), organizational climate (r = 0.500, p < 0.01), and job embeddedness (r = 0.476, p < 0.01). Organizational climate and job embeddedness acted as chain mediators between perceived organizational justice and job performance. The total effect of perceived organizational justice on job performance (β = 0.513) consisted of a direct effect (β = 0.311) as well as an indirect effect (β = 0.202) mediated through organizational climate and job embeddedness, with the mediating effect accounting for 39.38% of the total effect.

CONCLUSIONS

Organizational climate and job embeddedness play a chain mediating role between perceived organizational justice and job performance, so hospital managers should pay attention to the level of perceived organizational justice among young nurses, and develop a series of targeted measures to improve their job performance using organizational climate and job embeddedness as entry points.

Status and influencing factors of work stress among nurse managers in western China: a cross-sectional survey study

AIMS

Due to the nature of their work, nurses are more prone to experiencing psychological consequences than other healthcare workers. However, evidence on the emotional burden of nurse managers in China is limited. Furthermore, perceived organizational support has been approved that can affect mental health outcomes. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the status quo and influencing factors of nurse managers' work stress, and their possible relationship with perceived organizational support, which could further provide more countermeasures to safeguard their health.

METHODS

A cross-sectional online survey of 21 secondary and tertiary hospitals was conducted in a city in Sichuan province, Southwest China, using a convenience sampling method between October and November 2022. Data were collected using the general information questionnaire, the Chinese version of the Stress Overload Scale (SOS) and the perceived Organizational Support Scale (POSS). SPSS 23.0 was applied to analyze the data.

RESULTS

In total, 380 participants completed the survey. The median scores (interquartile range [IQR]) for SOS and POSS were 60.50 (50.00, 70.75) and 51.00 (44.00, 55.00), respectively. The work stress of the nurse managers was negatively correlated with perceived organizational support (P < 0.01). Multiple linear regression analysis showed that age older than 40 years, from secondary hospitals, working in emergency or pediatric wards, and professional qualification of supervisor nurse or deputy supervisor nurse, and the scores of POSS less than 51 significantly influenced the work stress of the nurse managers.

CONCLUSIONS

Our study shows that nurse managers are more prone to work stress, and organizational support can effectively reduce this stress. Governments and hospital administrators should pay more attention to providing comprehensive strategies based on various risk factors to protect and promote psychological health.

Symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder in early career nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic: A longitudinal survey study

AIM

To investigate the mental well-being of early career nurses working in the United Kingdom during the COVID-19 pandemic, with a particular emphasis on symptoms related to post-traumatic stress disorder.

DESIGN

A longitudinal survey study.

METHODS

Data were acquired at three timepoints during the COVID-19 pandemic (between May 2020 and March 2021) to determine whether symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder persisted over time. Quantitative measures of well-being were supplemented with survey data on the nurses' experiences of working during the pandemic.

RESULTS

Twenty-seven per cent of participants suffered from persistent symptoms of post-traumatic stress while working as nurses during the pandemic. The nurses' baseline resilience, as well as their perception of the quality of their work environment, were significant negative predictors of symptoms of post-traumatic stress. Participants identified a range of strategies that would have helped them during the crisis, including visible, consistent and empathetic leadership, adequate training and a supportive work environment.

CONCLUSION

The context of the pandemic has highlighted the vulnerability of the psychological well-being of early career nurses in the workforce. Immediate implementation of some of the more simple interventions suggested in this paper would provide early career nurses with rapid support. More complex support mechanisms should be given immediate consideration, with a view to implementation in the longer term.

IMPLICATIONS FOR THE PROFESSION

This study contributes new knowledge about the psychological well-being of early career nurses working during the pandemic and suggests support mechanisms that will be crucial for the retention of these nurses in the profession. A measurement of resilience may be useful for determining the appropriate level of support to provide to early career nurses.

IMPACT

Early career nurses are vulnerable to attrition from the profession. This could be exacerbated if the psychological well-being of these nurses is not being supported. Around 25% of early career nurses suffered from persistent symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder while working as nurses during the height of the pandemic, which is a novel finding compared to other longitudinal studies. Understanding the psychological well-being of early career nurses working during a crisis period (such as a pandemic) equips nurse managers with appropriate strategies to improve nurses' emotional health and to enhance their retention within the workforce. The current findings may be of interest to clinical practitioners who have responsibility for the retention of nursing staff. No patient or public contribution. One of the authors is a statistician.

Analysis of Sustainable Communication Patterns during the Telework Period in Western Romanian Corporations

The research was conducted in a particular context, the recent pandemic. It is a comparative study of the methods and quality of communication in global companies between 2021 and 2022. The corporations involved in the research are important providers of flexible production, quality, and logistics solutions that cover customers' real needs. They are active in the automotive industry and units involved in mass production in the electronics industry, household appliances, and cosmetics industries. In their case, it was noted that to achieve operational objectives such as developing employee skills, using advanced technologies, and exceeding customer expectations, it is important to use innovative methods and tools such as single platforms, which allow access to the most important information from a distance, anywhere, anytime. It is significant that, according to the research, the preferred method of communication by employees, regardless of the existing conditions, is face-to-face. Primarily, this method is chosen because it provides an open area of interpersonal interaction. The participants observe non-verbal attitudes or can perceive emotions and feelings. Their personality can be identified through unintentional contact to obtain constructive feedback through guidance and counseling. Moreover, it can be formed and develop productive, intentional connections. Stakeholders' efficient and effective open dialogs are encouraged in this sense.