ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES: During the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, nursing aides (NAs) experienced greater work stress than they do typically because they worked in highly contagious environments. This may have influenced their work morale and willingness to work, which can reduce patient satisfaction, influence their physical and mental health, and even endanger patient safety or cause medical system collapse. DESIGN: A cross-sectional survey with a structured self-report questionnaire was conducted. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: 144 NAs from a medical center in Central Taiwan participated. METHODS: We recruited NAs through convenience sampling to discuss their work stress, willingness to work, and patients' satisfaction with them during the COVID-19 pandemic. RESULT: Of the 144 recruited NAs, 115 (79.9%) were women and 29 (20.1%) were men, and 89 (61.8%) had completed COVID-19 training courses. NAs with different work tenure lengths exhibited significant differences in work stress (p = 0.022), willingness to work (p = 0.029), and patient satisfaction (p = 0.029) scores during the pandemic. CONCLUSION: The study findings provide crucial data for the management of NAs during pandemics to prevent them from neglecting patients due to excessive work stress or losing their willingness to work, which may cause the medical system to collapse.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: This study aimed to assess the severity of appendicitis during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, as patients with appendicitis may procrastinate seeking medical attention during the pandemic. METHODS: Information on patients with appendicitis who were treated at the Taipei City Hospital during the COVID-19 pandemic (January 1, 2020 to June 30, 2020) was retrieved. Patients who were diagnosed with appendicitis and treated at the same hospital from January 1, 2019 to July 1, 2019 were designated as the control group. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was conducted to assess changes in the severity of appendicitis (at a 2-week interval) between the two groups. RESULTS: We identified 307 (study group: 149; control group: 158) consecutive patients with appendicitis. The mean age was 46.2 +- 19.8 years. Between the two groups, there were no significant differences in age, sex, comorbidity, surgery type (laparoscopic or open appendectomy) or surgery time. The number of patients in the study group decreased between January 29, 2020 and April 21, 2020, which paralleled the period of spikes in the confirmed COVID-19 cases and restricted daily activities. The percentage of uncomplicated and complicated appendicitis (excluding mild appendicitis or normal appendix) in the study group increased between February 26 and March 10, as well as between April 8 and April 21. In the multivariate regression analysis, the odds of uncomplicated and complicated appendicitis increased in three bi-weeks for the study group but not in the control group. CONCLUSION: The severity of acute appendicitis might increase during the COVID-19 pandemic, because patients with mild appendicitis (or abdominal pain) may hesitate to seek help.