ABSTRACT
Background: There is a vital need to develop strategies to improve nursing surge capacity for caring of patients with coronavirus (COVID-19) in critical care settings. COVID-19 has spread rapidly, affecting thousands of patients and hundreds of territories. Hospitals, through anticipation and planning, can serve patients and staff by developing strategies to cope with the complications that a surge of COVID-19 places on the provision of adequate intensive care unit (ICU) nursing staff-both in numbers and in training. Aims: The aim is to provide an evidence-based starting point from which to build expanding staffing models dealing with these additional demands. Design/Method: In order to address and develop nursing surge capacity strategies, a five-member expert panel was formed. Multiple questions directed towards nursing surge capacity strategies were posed by the assembled expert panel. Literature review was conducted through accessing various databases including MEDLINE, CINAHL, Cochrane Central, and EMBASE. All studies were appraised by at least two reviewers independently using the Joanna Briggs Institute JBI Critical Appraisal Tools. Results: The expert panel has issued strategies and recommendation statements. These proposals, supported by evidence-based resources in regard to nursing staff augmentation strategies, have had prior success when implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic. Conclusion: The proposed guidelines are intended to provide a basis for the provision of best practice nursing care during times of diminished intensive care unit (ICU) nursing staff capacity and resources due to a surge in critically ill patients. The recommendations and strategies issued are intended to specifically support critical care nurses incorporating COVID-19 patients. As new knowledge evidence becomes available, updates can be issued and strategies, guidelines and/or policies revised. Relevance to Clinical Practice: Through discussion and condensing research, healthcare professionals can create a starting point from which to synergistically develop strategies to combat crises that a pandemic like COVID-19 produces.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: The outbreak of the novel Corona Virus Infectious Disease 2019 (COVID-19) has spread rapidly to many countries leading to thousands of deaths globally. The burden of this pandemic has affected the physical and mental health of the frontline health care workers (HCWs) who are exposed to high risk of infection and psychological stressors. AIMS: The aim is to measure the level of depression among healthcare workers in Saudi Arabia during COVID-19 pandemic to establish interventional strategies. METHOD: A descriptive cross-sectional study was used to conduct the current study. The data of this study was recruited between 15 June and 15 July 2020 from healthcare providers who work in both public and private healthcare sectors in Riyadh and Eastern province in Saudi Arabia utilizing a self-administered questionnaire. The study was approved by the Institutional Review Board at Dr. Sulaiman Al Habib Medical Group (IRB Log No. RC20.06.88-2). Data were collected by using The Zung Self-Rating Depression Scale SDS. A total of 900 healthcare providers working in the healthcare setting during COVID-19 pandemic were invited to participate in the study. A total of 650 healthcare providers participated in the study by completing and submitting the survey. RESULTS: Almost 30% suffered from depression which can be divided into three categories; mild depression (26.2%), moderate/major (2.5%) and severe/extreme (0.8%). The finding shows that the level of depression among respondents at the age range of 31-40 years old was significantly higher than the level of depression among respondents with the age above 50 years old. Non-Saudi healthcare workers experienced more depression than Saudi workers. It also shows how nurses suffered from depression compared to their physician colleagues. Those who did not suffer from sleeping disorder perceived more depression as compared to those who are having sleeping disorder. CONCLUSION: It is recommended that health care facilities should implement strategies to reduce the prevalence of mental health problems among healthcare providers and eventually it will improve their performance in provision of safe and high-quality care for patients.