Emotional intelligence and coping strategies among intensive care unit nurses

The relationship between sleep quality and resilience among intensive care unit nurses: A cross-sectional study

Resilience is essential for intensive care unit (ICU) nurses, but poor sleep quality negatively affects their well-being and performance. This study analysed the link between sleep quality and resilience among 138 ICU nurses, considering socio-demographic variables (age, sex, education, professional experience). Data showed high rates of poor sleep (56.5%) and low and average resilience (84%). No significant relationship between socio-demographic variables and resilience or sleep quality was found, but a moderate negative correlation between sleep quality and resilience was identified (r = -.30; p < .001). Interventions to improve sleep and resilience are needed to enhance ICU nurses' well-being and performance. Increasing the level of resilience among ICU nurses is an important health-related protective factor. Moreover, an increase in resilience can enhance work commitment and improve their abilities to cope with many problems, ultimately contributing to their development.

Socio-emotional competency matrix in nursing education: undergraduate student perspectives

to develop a socioemotional competency matrix proposal for undergraduate nursing students.

this exploratory, descriptive study used a qualitative approach. Fifty-seven nursing students from a public higher education institution participated. Data were collected through focus groups and analyzed using inductive thematic analysis.

six socioemotional competencies were identified: Assertive Communication, Receptivity, Adaptability, Teamwork, Emotional Intelligence, and Shared Leadership. Additionally, recognizing associated behaviors/attitudes enabled the construction of the matrix. Strategies for competency development were mentioned, such as teacher support, participation in academic leagues, research projects, and workshops as initiatives from graduate programs.

the socio-emotional competency matrix for nursing students should assist health care managers and training centers in designing competency-based educational projects.

BACKGROUND

(1) The matrix should assist training centers in developing educational projects. (2) The matrix aims to address gaps in the training of future nurses. (3) The socio-emotional competency matrix for nursing contributes to qualification improvement.

Effects of job demands, job resources, personal resources on night-shift alertness of ICU shift nurses: a cross‑sectional survey study based on the job demands-resources model

BACKGROUND

A positive work environment can enhance nursing safety and patient satisfaction while alleviating nurse stress. Conversely, a poor work environment can harm nurses' physical and mental health and compromise the quality of care, particularly in the high-intensity and shift-based setting of the ICU.

OBJECTIVES

Based on the Job demands-resources (JD-R) model, this study examined the effects of job demands and job resources in the work environment, as well as personal resources, on the night-shift alertness of ICU shift nurses.

METHODS

This cross-sectional correlational exploratory study, conducted from July to September 2022, recruited 291 ICU shift nurses from a hospital in Beijing, China. The Copenhagen Psychosocial Questionnaire (COPSOQ), the Self-resilience scale, the General Self-Efficacy Scale (GSES), and the Psychomotor Vigilance Task (PVT) were used to subjectively and objectively measure the job demands, job resources, personal resources, and night-shift alertness. SPSS 26.0 and Mplus 8.3 were used to analyze the data and construct the structural equation model.

RESULTS

The night-shift reaction time was 251.0 ms (Median), indicating a relatively high level of alertness. Job demands were negatively correlated with both job resources (r=-0.570, P < 0.001) and personal resources (r=-0.462, P < 0.001), while a positive correlation existed between job resources and personal resources (r = 0.554, P < 0.001). The results show that increased job demands can lead to higher levels of nurse strain (β = 0.955, P < 0.001), whereas job resources were found that it can decrease strain (β=-0.477, P = 0.047). Adequate job resources can enhance motivation directly (β = 0.874, P < 0.001), subsequently reducing reaction time (β=-0.148, P = 0.044) and improving night-shift alertness among ICU shift nurses.

CONCLUSION

Enhancing ICU shift nurses' work motivation through bolstering job resources can boost night-shift alertness. However, it is noteworthy that, in this study, neither strain nor individual resources significantly influenced nurses' night-shift alertness. This may be attributed to the complexity of the ICU environment and individual differences. Future research should explore the relationship between these factors and nurses' work alertness.

"Patient dignity can be ensured by providing adequate health care": A phenomenological analysis on survival strategies of military nurses

Background

The devastating COVID-19 outbreak has considerably influenced basic human healthcare needs. Due to healthcare organizational limitations, workload, and a shortage of healthcare professionals, particularly military nurses in developing countries, faced critical situations in dealing with COVID-19 patients. However, little is known about the survival strategies military nurses used while caring for coronavirus-infected patients.

Aims

This study aimed to investigate the survival strategies that inspired military nurses to manage COVID-19 patients in Bangladesh.

Methods

This study employed the phenomenology of practice framework developed by Max van Manen. Fourteen military nurses were purposefully selected to participate in this study. Semi-structured online interviews were conducted individually from January to February 2023 in three divisional (Dhaka, Chittagong, and Sylhet) COVID-19 dedicated military hospitals in Bangladesh. The study was reported using the COREQ checklist. Audio-video sessions of discussions were recorded, analyzed, and transcribed verbatim. Dataset analysis was performed using thematic analysis.

Results

Eight themes were developed: (i) Nurses' self-strategies; (ii) colleagues' strategies; (iii) Nurse managers' strategies; (iv) Feelings about nursing ethical values; (v) Employers' strategies; (vi) Government strategies; (vii) Family members' strategies; (viii) Strategies of social people.

Conclusions

The study's findings would inspire healthcare professionals to use various survival strategies when facing critical clinical situations. Additionally, this study encourages nurses to develop survival skills to avoid depression, fear, and anxiety and to learn how to deal with work-related stress situations.

Psychoeducational interventional programme during the COVID-19 pandemic for nurses with severe occupational stress: A randomized controlled trial

BACKGROUND

Occupational stress is generally acknowledged as a major issue in the health sector that may have a detrimental impact on nurses' psychological and physical health, particularly during the COVID-19 epidemic.

AIM

This study evaluated the effectiveness of a psychoeducational interventional programme in decreasing occupational stress and improving coping methods among nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic.

METHODS

This study used a cluster-randomized approach. Data were collected from 80 nurses working in two public health-care centres from May to August 2020 in Jordan. Two centres were assigned randomly to the intervention and control groups. The psychoeducational programme was delivered to the intervention group in six sessions over 6 days for 2 weeks. The collected data were analysed using SPSS through descriptive and inferential statistics. Occupational stress and coping strategies were measured.

RESULTS

Repeated-measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) indicated that the degrees of occupational stress and coping strategies significantly differed between study groups over the three points of data collection.

CONCLUSION

This psychoeducational interventional programme is a valuable noninvasive method that can improve individual coping strategies to manage stress in practice during the COVID-19 pandemic.