A Phenomenological Study of Nurses' Experiences in a Pediatric Fever Clinic During the COVID-19 Epidemic.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: In the initial COVID-19 outbreak, nursing staff reportedly experienced high levels of psychological stress. The purpose of this study was to explore the real experience of the first cohort of pediatric fever clinic nurses during the COVID-19 epidemic. METHODS: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with eight nurses who worked in a fever clinic at a children's hospital in China. The interviews were conducted by an experienced and trained interviewer. Qualitative content analysis was used to describe the experiences of the nurses. RESULTS: Three themes were distilled from the interviews: 1) complex psychological experiences including positive experiences (increased sense of responsibility and honor, gaining the respect and recognition of parents, having a sense of achievement in personal growth) and negative experiences (panic and compulsion, guilt towards their family, antipathy, and dissatisfaction); 2) extreme physical discomfort; and 3) a lack of relevant knowledge. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: The nurses in the pediatric fever clinic experienced various psychological impacts and physiological discomfort. Nursing managers should improve the management of hospital emergency nursing, strengthen the psychological guidance and logistics support of frontline nurses, and provide nurses with the relevant knowledge and skills training. These improvements would support frontline nurses in their work to provide effective patient treatment during the COVID-19 epidemic.

Investigation and Analysis of Perceived Stress Levels in Pediatric Nurses During the 2019-20 SARS-CoV-2 Outbreak.

This study investigated perceived stress levels of pediatric nurses during the 2019-20 severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) outbreak. From February 9 to 13, 2020, 250 pediatric nurses were selected from 4 grade III children's hospitals and 5 grade III general hospitals in Jiangsu Province, China. A general information questionnaire and a stress perception scale were used to investigate and analyze the influencing factors of perceived stress among participants. Perceived stress was at the intermediate level or above for 54.1% (133) of the sample. Multiple linear regression analysis showed that hospital department, living styles, physical conditions, and the proportion of negative (eg, increased deaths and infections) information received about the epidemic (eg, via media and/or face-to-face) influenced perceived stress. Thus, the overall level of perceived stress among clinical pediatric nurses was medium. Nursing managers should pay more attention to and conduct timely assessment interventions for staff to reduce stress levels and promote physical and mental health.