Intention and motivation to pursue higher education among registered nurses and midwives: a cross-sectional study during COVID-19.

OBJECTIVES: To determine the intention and motivation of nurses and midwives to pursue their higher education considering several factors. METHODS: This is a cross-sectional study were a 16-item online survey was distributed using a convenience sampling method to approximately 12,000 nurses and midwives between May - July 2021. RESULTS: A total of 513 eligible nurses and midwives participated in the study. Most of the respondents were females (76.61%), with a bachelor's degree (72.3%) and well experienced (11-15 years) (35.4%). Most nurses and midwives are highly motivated to pursue higher education (79.14%). The most motivating factor for the respondents is their professional goals (85.2%), While the most dissuading factor was the cost. Regarding COVID-19, about 28% of the respondents said that the COVID-19 pandemic has a negative effect on their desire to go for higher education. CONCLUSIONS: The nurses and midwives were highly motivated to pursue higher education regardless of their demographic status, available resources, and barriers. Furthermore, the eagerness of the nurses and midwives to pursue higher education, which is rooted in their desire to grow in their profession.

The perception of nursing leaders towards communication and relationship management competencies in using digital platforms during COVID-19 in Qatar: A cross-sectional study.

AIM: To evaluate nursing leaders' perception of communication and relationship management competencies while using digital platforms during the COVID-19 pandemic. BACKGROUND: Nursing leaders can achieve effective leadership by mastering these competencies leading to an overall improvement in the quality of nursing care. The COVID-19 pandemic has brought numerous challenges in communication, and digital platforms have been widely used in healthcare settings to mitigate contagion. DESIGN: Cross-sectional. METHODS: The study was conducted between February and March 2021. A survey was adopted from the American Organization of Nurse Executives (AONE) and was sent to nursing leaders in Qatar through email. RESULTS: A total of 250 nurse leaders were invited to participate, but only 116 responded (RR 46.4%). The male participants represented a more significant proportion of 64.10%. Influencing behaviour, relationship management and effective communication had the lowest scores, which indicates low competency. CONCLUSIONS: Despite obtaining satisfying scores, nursing leaders in Qatar should strive for professional development and knowledge acquisition to improve their communications and relationship management competencies. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING MANAGEMENT: Healthcare organizations must understand that nursing leaders should strive for professional development and knowledge acquisition to improve their communication and management.

Stigma towards health care providers taking care of COVID-19 patients: A multi-country study.

Background: Health care providers (HCPs) have always been a common target of stigmatization during widespread infections and COVID-19 is not an exception. Aim: This study aims to investigate the prevalence of stigmatization during the COVID-19 pandemic among HCPs in seven different countries using the Stigma COVID-19 Healthcare Providers tool (S19-HCPs). Design: Cross-sectional. Methods: The S19-HCPs is a self-administered online survey (16-item) developed and validated by the research team. The participants were invited to complete an online survey. Data collection started from June-July 2020 using a convenience sample of HCPs from Iraq, Jordan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, Philippines, and Kuwait. Results: A total number of 1726 participants were included in the final analysis. The majority of the study participants were Jordanians (22%), followed by Kuwaitis (19%), Filipinos (18%) and the lowest participants were Indonesians (6%). Other nationalities were Iraqis, Saudis, and Egyptians with 15%, 11% and 9% respectively. Among the respondents, 57% have worked either in a COVID-19 designated facility or in a quarantine center and 78% claimed that they had received training for COVID-19. Statistical significance between COVID-19 stigma and demographic variables were found in all aspect of the S19-HCPs. Conclusion: The findings of this study demonstrated high levels of stigmatization against HCPs in all the included seven countries. On the other hand, they are still perceived positively by their communities and in their utmost, highly motivated to care for COVID-19 patients. Educational and awareness programs could have a crucial role in the solution of stigmatization problems over the world.

Quality of Life, Sleep Quality, Depression, Anxiety, Stress, Eating Habits, and Social Bounds in Nurses during the Coronavirus Disease 2019 Pandemic in Qatar (The PROTECTOR Study): A Cross-Sectional, Comparative Study.

There have been numerous concerns regarding the physical and mental health of nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic. Stress, sleep deprivation, anxiety, and depression potentiated nurses' vulnerability to poor eating habits. AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to explore the differences between nurses' characteristics with COVID-19 facility designation, and sleep quality, depression, anxiety, stress, eating habits, social bonds, and quality of life. DESIGN: A cross-sectional, comparative study. METHODS: An online survey was sent using the corporation's email to nurses working in three hospitals in Qatar from September to December 2020. One of them is a designated COVID-19 facility. The sleep quality, depression, eating habits, social bonds, and quality of life were measured using The Insomnia Severity Index (ISI), Depression Anxiety and Stress Scale 21 (DASS-21), Emotional Eater Questionnaire (EEQ), Oslo Social Support Scale (OSSS-3), and the World Health Organization Quality of Life (WHOQOL-BREF), respectively. RESULTS: A total of 200 nurses participated in the study (RR: 13.3%). No statistically significant association was found between designated facility (COVID-19 vs. not COVID-19) or nurses' characteristics and ISI categories (OR 1.15; 95% CI 0.54, 2.44). Nurses working in COVID-19 facilities had increased odds of having higher EEQ categories by 2.62 times (95% CI 1.18, 5.83). Similarly, no statistically significant associations were found between any of the nurses' characteristics and OSSS-3 categories. On the other hand, no statistically significant associations were found between any of the nurses' characteristics and QOL domains except for the gender and social relationships' domain. CONCLUSION: Overall, the quality of life of nurses in Qatar is on a positive level whether they are assigned to a COVID-19 facility or not. Although no significant difference was found with regard to the sleep quality, stress, anxiety, depression, and eating habits between nurses in a COVID-19 facility and in a non-COVID-19 facility, special interventions to diminish stressors need to be implemented and maintained.

Comparing the Impact of COVID-19 on Nurses' Turnover Intentions before and during the Pandemic in Qatar.

BACKGROUND: Although several studies examining nurses' turnover intentions have been conducted, few studies have been conducted to explore how COVID-19 contributes to nurses' turnover intentions. This study aims to compare nurses' turnover (TO) intentions before and during COVID-19. METHODS: The cross-sectional study was conducted using the Turnover Intention Scale (TIS-6) and a convenience sample of participants from the largest healthcare provider in Qatar between August and September 2020. RESULTS: A total of 512 nurses were included in the final analysis. The majority were between 31 and 40 years of age (61.5%), 67.6% were females, 76.4% were married, 79.7% had a BSN, 43% had less than 5 years of experience, and 60.4% had worked in COVID-19 designated facilities. The turnover intentions were higher compared with before COVID-19 (p < 0.01). CONCLUSION: Nurses in Qatar have higher TO intentions during COVID-19. The participants' characteristics and stress levels are playing a major role in nurses' decision to leave during COVID-19. Understanding the factors that contribute to turnover intentions is crucial for workforce planning, especially during pandemics.

The lived experiences of frontline nurses during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic in Qatar: A qualitative study.

AIM: This study aims to explore the lived experiences of frontline nurses providing nursing care for COVID-19 patients in Qatar. DESIGN: Qualitative, Phenomenological. METHODS: Nurses were recruited from a designated COVID-19 facility using purposive and snowball sampling. The participants were interviewed face-to-face using semi-structured interview questions from 6 September-10 October 2020. The interviews were transcribed and analyzed using Colaizzi's phenomenological method. RESULT: A total of 30 nurses were interviewed; (76.7%) were deployed for >6 months. Three major themes were drawn from the analysis: (a) Challenges of working in a COVID-19 facility (subthemes: working in a new context and new working environment, worn out by the workload, the struggle of wearing protective gear, fear of COVID-19, witnessing suffering); (b) Surviving COVID-19 (subthemes: keeping it safe with extra measures, change in eating habits, teamwork and camaraderie, social support); and (c) Resilience of Nurses (subthemes: a true calling, a sense of purpose).

Nurses' willingness to work with COVID-19 patients: The role of knowledge and attitude.

AIM: This study aims to assess the role of nurses' knowledge and attitude in relation to their willingness to work with patients diagnosed with COVID-19 in Qatar. DESIGN: A cross-sectional study. METHODS: A self-administered, 35-item online survey was circulated to the Registered Nurses working in Hamad Medical Corporation, the principal healthcare provider in Qatar. RESULTS: A total of 580 attempts to complete the survey. Of them, 377 completed surveys with a response rate of 65%. Logistic regression was used to predict nurses' willingness to work with patients with COVID-19. Nurses' knowledge level and monetary compensation that is associated with the work-environment risk category were found to have a significant positive relationship with the nurses' willingness to care for patients with COVID-19 (p < .05). The findings of this study may help nursing leaders design educational programmes and remuneration models that may help boost nurses' willingness to work with high-risk patient groups, especially during a pandemic.