Primary care nurses' preparedness for COVID-19 in the Western Cape province, South Africa.
Afr J Prim Health Care Fam Med
; 13(1): e1-e8, 2021 May 28.
Article
in English
| MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-1262642
ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION:
The novel coronavirus 2019 or COVID-19 pandemic has brought about a global public health crisis. Primary care (PC) nurses render first line care, or refer for more specialised services.AIM:
To investigate the preparedness of PC nurses for COVID-19 in the Western Cape.SETTING:
The Western Cape province of South Africa.METHODS:
We administered an online survey, with closed and open-ended questions, to 83 Stellenbosch University postgraduate PC nursing students and alumni working in the Western Cape, between 03 July and 01 September 2020.RESULTS:
The results indicated that 43.3% of participants were confident about the infection, prevention, and control (IPC) training they received and 56.7% felt prepared to provide direct care to suspected cases of COVID-19. Primary care nurses were more comfortable to triage (78.3%) than to manage persons with COVID-19 (42.2%), indicating that they may not be functioning to the full capacity of their education and training. Adequate infrastructure was reported by less than a third of the participants (30.1%) and 59.1% reported that personal protective equipment (PPE) was always available. Primary care nurses needed support in coping with stress (57.8%) although few (14.5%) reported access to mental health services.CONCLUSION:
Primary care nurses were not prepared optimally for the COVID-19 pandemic. Challenges included adequate training, infrastructure, the availability of personal protective equipment, COVID-19 testing of health care workers and management support. Primary care nurses need comprehensive support to manage stress and anxiety.Keywords
Full text:
Available
Collection:
International databases
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Attitude of Health Personnel
/
Clinical Competence
/
Primary Care Nursing
/
COVID-19
Type of study:
Diagnostic study
/
Observational study
/
Prognostic study
/
Randomized controlled trials
Limits:
Adult
/
Female
/
Humans
/
Male
Language:
English
Journal:
Afr J Prim Health Care Fam Med
Year:
2021
Document Type:
Article
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