Qualitative evaluation of a brief positive psychological online intervention for nursing staff.

AIM: The aim of this study is to evaluate a brief positive psychological intervention with regard to the mental health of nursing staff in German hospitals. It addresses the question of how positive-psychological online exercises should be designed. BACKGROUND: Nurses in hospitals are known to suffer from mental strain and risk depressive as well as anxiety disorders. The covid-19-pandemic leads to a further aggravation of the situation. Opposed to that, positive psychological interventions can increase resilience by promoting self-management competences and mental strength. RESEARCH METHODS: A 90 min positive-psychological workshop was conducted with six nurses who worked in German hospitals. It consisted of imparting knowledge on positive psychology and learning different positive psychological practices. Afterwards, guideline-based interviews were conducted with six nurses. The outcomes of interest were how the intervention was evaluated, to what extent the intervention led to a reflection and a promotion of self-management competences and whether it allowed the participants to transfer the learnings into everyday life. RESULTS: The intervention led to a reflection of the application competence of positive-psychological techniques by the participating nurses. A promotion of the competences could not be reached. Especially the reflection and promotion of humour competence manifested itself as difficult. CONCLUSION: Despite its short-term nature, the online intervention resulted in a reflection of the nurses' application competence of positive psychology indicating its resource-promoting potential. Follow-up exercises or peer groups should be used for further development, while a training of humour competence might be part of a separate intervention.

How about an Educational Framework for Nursing Staff in Long-Term Care Facilities to Improve the Care of Behavioral and Psychological Symptoms of Dementia?

Behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD) are common in residents of long-term care facilities (LTCFs). In LTCFs, nursing staff, including nurses and care workers, play a crucial role in managing BPSD as those most in contact with the residents. However, it is ambiguous where their focus should be for effective BPSD care. Thus, this paper aims to reveal BPSD care competencies for nursing staff in LTCFs and to outline an initial frame of education. A multiphase mixed-methods approach, which was conducted through topic modeling, qualitative interviews, and a Delphi survey, was used. From the results, a preliminary educational framework for nursing staff with categories of BPSD care competence was outlined with the four categories of BPSD care competence: using knowledge for assessment and monitoring the status of residents, individualizing approaches on how to understand residents and address BPSD, building relationships for shared decision-making, and securing a safe environment for residents and staff in LTCFs. This preliminary framework illuminates specific domains that need to be developed for competent BPSD care in LTCFs that are centered on nursing staff who directly assess and monitor the changing and deteriorating state of residents in LTCFs.

Job Demands, Work Functioning and Mental Health in Dutch Nursing Home Staff during the COVID-19 Outbreak: A Cross-Sectional Multilevel Study.

COVID-19 posed enormous challenges for nursing home staff, which may have caused stress and mental health problems. This study aimed to measure the prevalence of mental health problems among nursing home staff and investigate the differences in job demands, work functioning and mental health between staff with and without COVID contact or COVID infection and across different levels of COVID worries. In this cross-sectional study, 1669 employees from 10 nursing home organizations filled in an online questionnaire between June and September 2020. The questionnaire measured the participants' characteristics, COVID contact, infection and worries, job demands, work functioning, depressive symptoms and burnout. Differences were investigated with multilevel models to account for clustering at the organization level. Of the participants, 19.1% had high levels of depressive symptoms and 22.2% burnout. Job demands, work functioning, depressive symptoms and burnout differed between participants who never worried and participants who often or always worried about the COVID crisis. Differences were smaller for participants with and without COVID contact or infection. Most models improved when clustering was accounted for. Nursing homes should be aware of the impact of COVID worries on job demands, work functioning and mental health, both at the individual and organizational level.

Resilience Will Not Erase Structural Racism.

Acknowledging underlying inequities is crucial.

How to bring residents' psychosocial well-being to the heart of the fight against Covid-19 in Belgian nursing homes-A qualitative study.

BACKGROUND: Nursing homes (NH) for the elderly have been particularly affected by the Covid-19 pandemic mainly due to their hosted vulnerable populations and poor outbreak preparedness. In Belgium, the medical humanitarian organization Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) implemented a support project for NH including training on infection prevention and control (IPC), (re)-organization of care, and psychosocial support for NH staff. As psychosocial and mental health needs of NH residents in times of Covid-19 are poorly understood and addressed, this study aimed to better understand these needs and how staff could respond accordingly. METHODS: A qualitative study adopting thematic content analysis. Eight focus group discussions with direct caring staff and 56 in-depth interviews with residents were conducted in eight purposively and conveniently selected NHs in Brussels, Belgium, June 2020. RESULTS: NH residents experienced losses of freedom, social life, autonomy, and recreational activities that deprived them of their basic psychological needs. This had a massive impact on their mental well-being expressed in feeling depressed, anxious, and frustrated as well as decreased meaning and quality of life. Staff felt unprepared for the challenges posed by the pandemic; lacking guidelines, personal protective equipment and clarity around organization of care. They were confronted with professional and ethical dilemmas, feeling 'trapped' between IPC and the residents' wellbeing. They witnessed the detrimental effects of the measures imposed on their residents. CONCLUSION: This study revealed the insights of residents' and NH staff at the height of the early Covid-19 pandemic. Clearer outbreak plans, including psychosocial support, could have prevented the aggravated mental health conditions of both residents and staff. A holistic approach is needed in NHs in which tailor-made essential restrictive IPC measures are combined with psychosocial support measures to reduce the impact on residents' mental health impact and to enhance their quality of life.

Letter to the Editor. Psychological support provided by national nursing associations in pandemic. Polish ICU nursing experiences. / List do Redakcji. Wsparcie psychologiczne zapewniane przez krajowe stowarzyszenia pielegniarskie w wypadku pandemii. Doswiadczenia polskich pielegniarek na OIT.

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Addressing mental and emotional health concerns experienced by nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic.

BACKGROUND: Nurses are the majority of the world's health work force and the frontline responders during pandemics. The mental/emotional toll can be profound if it is not identified and treated. PURPOSE: In March 2020, with New York City as the epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States, Columbia University School of Nursing organized support circles for faculty and students providing clinical care as a healing method to address trauma. METHODS: Columbia University School of Nursing adapted guidelines and conducted Circles of Care to share, listen, and acknowledge the new challenges for nurses via Zoom. Analysis of these sessions produced major themes of concern for nurses. FINDINGS: Between March 31 and May 31, 2020, we facilitated 77 sessions with 636 attendees. Eight major themes emerged: coping mechanisms, patients suffering and dying, feelings of helplessness, frustration with COVID-19 response, silver lining, disconnection from the world, the thread that holds nurses together, and exhaustion. DISCUSSION: This report offers insight into the mental/emotional outcomes of being on the frontlines. Addressing these issues is essential for the well-being of nurses and all health care providers for an effective pandemic response.

Supporting the well-being of nurses working during COVID-19.

On 11 March 2020, the World Health Organization declared that the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) was a pandemic. As the COVID-19 pandemic has developed there have been many parallels made with other pandemics and epidemics, such as the 1918 influenza A (H1N1) pandemic and the 2003 severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) epidemic. This article discusses the challenges experienced by healthcare staff working during COVID-19, and the lessons that can be learned, such as the enhanced support required for staff.

Individual and organisational strategies to develop resilience in the nursing workforce.

Nurses are likely to encounter a wide range of distressing, challenging and sometimes traumatic situations. However, the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has created unprecedented levels of stress, risk, uncertainty and anxiety for nurses. Nurses have been working in highly challenging conditions, particularly on the front line of patient care, which has had adverse effects on their mental health and well-being. The challenges generated by the COVID-19 pandemic have called into question the notion of nursing being an innately resilient profession. Consequently, the pandemic has reinforced the need for individuals, teams and healthcare organisations to foster resilience in nurses. This article discusses the theoretical underpinnings of resilience, explains what resilience in nurses means, and describes the adverse effects of the pandemic on nurses' mental health and resilience. The article also explores how nurses' resilience can be developed and enhanced from an individual and organisational perspective.

Roadmap to Recovery: Year 2 of the COVID-19 Pandemic.

The COVID-19 pandemic altered traditional education models and school nursing practice during the 2020-2021 school year. As schools plan to reopen for the 2021-2022 school year, school nurses must arm themselves with the most recent evidence-based knowledge and tools to promote the health and safety of the school community. Schools will need to continue infection control measures and strategies to support the social emotional needs of students and staff to promote a safe and healthy learning environment on return to school. Partnered with local health departments, school nurses are vital to mitigation measures such as on-site viral testing and vaccination. A successful school year depends on strong nursing leadership.

Staff's Psychological Well-Being and Coping Mechanisms During COVID-19 Lockdown in Care Homes for Older Adults: A Structural Equation Modeling Analysis.

The current study investigated the psychological well-being and coping mechanisms of care home staff during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) lockdown. Among 147 staff members, 21.8%, 24.5%, and 12.9% reported depression, anxiety, and stress, respectively. The results of structural equation modeling showed that self-efficacy and coping strategies had direct effects on psychological well-being. In the paths from self-perceived caregiving to psychological well-being, self-efficacy and positive coping strategies played mediating roles independently and together, and social support played a mediating role together with coping strategies. Care home staff's psychological well-being was undermined during the COVID-19 lockdown. Interventions aimed at improving staff's self-efficacy, adoption of positive coping strategies, and avoidance of negative coping strategies or considerations of social support along with coping strategies are suggested to decrease exhibited symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress. [Research in Gerontological Nursing, 14(4), 180-190.].

Another Look at Compassion Fatigue.

ABSTRACT: Compassion fatigue has become a more significant concern as nurses have cared for patients during the COVID-19 pandemic. The results of compassion fatigue are detrimental for both nurses and their patients. Both administrative and individual actions can be taken to assess, prevent, and deal with compassion fatigue. Spiritual facets of recognizing the potential for and managing the problem are presented.

Nursing home staff perceptions of challenges and coping strategies during COVID-19 pandemic in China.

BACKGROUND: First-line nursing staff are responsible for protecting residents, the most vulnerable population, from COVID-19 infections. They are at a high risk of being infected with COVID-19 and experience high levels of psychological distress. AIMS: To explore the challenges and coping strategies perceived by nursing staff during the COVID-19 pandemic in China. METHODS: In April,2020, we conducted a qualitative study using in-depth semi-structured interviews with nursing staff. Participants were selected from seven nursing homes in three cities in Hunan Province, China. RESULTS: A total of 21 nursing staff participated in the study, including seven nurse managers, seven registered nurses and seven nursing assistants. Three main themes were identified. Different groups encountered different sources of stress and adopted various coping strategies to fulfil their responsibilities. CONCLUSIONS: Nursing home staff were underprepared for dealing with COVID-19-related challenges. Educational programs to improve the ability to deal with COVID-19 prevention and control are needed.

School Nursing in a Pandemic: Striving for Excellence in Santa Fe Public Schools.

When the COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) pandemic led to school closures around the nation in March 2020, the role of the school nurse changed significantly, and it has continued to evolve as districts grapple with how to safely meet students' academic needs while also protecting the health of their communities. Nurses working for Santa Fe Public Schools in New Mexico have taken their new roles seriously and have been working closely with their district leaders, the New Mexico Department of Health, School Health Advocates, and the Public Education Department to facilitate evidence-based policies and procedures. Activities have included cohorting, contact tracing, resource development, education (of staff and families), planning and implementation of safety procedures, coordination of surveillance testing, and staff screening, along with finding new, COVID safe ways to provide standard school nursing services, including immunization administration, hearing and vision screening, teaching, and promoting wellness and mental health.