ABSTRACT
PURPOSE: During COVID-19, stigmatization and violence against and between professional healthcare workers worldwide are increasing. Understanding the prevalence of such stigmatization and violence is needed for gaining a complete picture of this issue. Therefore, the purpose of this review was to update estimates of the prevalence of stigmatization and violence against healthcare workers during the pandemic. DESIGN: A systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted. METHODS: This review followed PRISMA guidelines and encompassed these databases: PubMed, Academic Search Complete, CINAHL, Web of Science, MEDLINE Complete, OVID (UpToDate), and Embase (from databases inception to September 15, 2021). We included observational studies and evaluated the quality of the study using the Joanna Briggs Institute methodology. Further, a random effects model was used to synthesis the pooled prevalence of stigmatization and violence in this study. FINDINGS: We identified 14 studies involving 3452 doctors, 5738 nurses, and 2744 allied health workers that reported stigmatization and violence during the pandemic. The pooled prevalence was, for stigmatization, 43% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 21% to 65%) and, for violence, 42% (95% CI: 30% to 54%). CONCLUSIONS: Stigmatization and violence during the COVID-19 pandemic were found to have affected almost half the studied healthcare workers. Healthcare professionals are more prone to be stigmatized by the community and to face workplace violence. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Health administrators and policymakers should anticipate and promptly address stigmatization and violence against and between healthcare workers, while controlling the spread of COVID-19. Health care systems should give serious attention to the mental health of all health providers.
Subject(s)
COVID-19 , Workplace Violence , Humans , COVID-19/epidemiology , Pandemics , Prevalence , Stereotyping , Health Personnel/psychologyABSTRACT
Background: Community-dwelling adults who can perform self-care behaviors related to making treatment decisions and participating in treatment have been found to use less emergency care. In this exploratory study, we examined the relationships in older adults between five social determinants (urban/rural residence, sex, age, marital status, and education) and the perceived importance, desirability, and ability to perform 11 self-care behaviors related to making good treatment decisions and participating in treatment. Methods: This cross-sectional study surveyed 123 community-dwelling older adults living in the southern United States in 2015-2016. All participants were 65 years or older. Data were collected using the Patient Action Inventory for Self-Care and analyzed using descriptive, univariate, and multivariate logistic regression analyses. Results: The social determinants (identified as barriers) of self-care behaviors related to making good treatment decisions and participating in treatment were: having less than a high school education, being 75 years or older, and being separated from a spouse. Sex and residence were found to be neither barriers nor facilitators. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that, in older adults, attending to the needs related to health literacy education and improving social support might increase self-care behaviors related to making good treatment decisions and participating in treatment. Future research will compare the differences across diverse populations to validate our study findings.
ABSTRACT
This discussion article highlights the challenges of providing hospice care in nursing homes since the start of the COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) pandemic and illuminates practice changes needed in nursing homes. The article provides an overview of the expectations of hospice care, explains the differences in delivering hospice care during the COVID-19 pandemic, examines social isolation and emotional loneliness and the role of familial caregivers, and describes policy changes related to the COVID-19 affecting hospice care delivery in nursing homes. This article answers the following questions: (1) How did residents receiving hospice care have their needs met during the COVID-19 pandemic? (2) What areas of nursing home care need to be improved through governmental policy and restructuring? This article also summarized the lessons learned as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and provided practical implications for nursing, specific to changes in hospice care deliveries for nursing home residents.