Roles and Experiences of Registered Nurses on Labor and Delivery Units in the United States During the COVID-19 Pandemic.
J Obstet Gynecol Neonatal Nurs
; 50(6): 742-752, 2021 11.
Article
in English
| MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-1392426
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE:
To examine the roles and experiences of labor and delivery (LD) nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic.DESIGN:
Cross-sectional survey.SETTING:
Online distribution between the beginning of July and end of August 2020.PARTICIPANTS:
LD nurses (N = 757) responded to an open-ended question about changes to their roles during the COVID-19 pandemic as part of a larger national survey.METHODS:
We calculated descriptive statistics on respondents' characteristics and their hospitals' characteristics. We applied conventional content analysis to free-text comments.RESULTS:
We derived four major categories from the responses Changes in Roles and Responsibilities, Adaptations to Changes, Psychological Changes, and Perceived Effects on LaborSupport. Nearly half (n = 328) of respondents reported changes in their roles and responsibilities during the COVID-19 pandemic. They described adaptations and responses to these changes and perceived effects on patient care. Infection control policies and practices as well as the stress of a rapidly changing work environment affected the provision of labor support and personal well-being.CONCLUSION:
The experiences described by respondents conveyed considerable changes in their roles and subsequent direct and indirect effects on quality of patient care and personal well-being. Policies and practices that can facilitate the ability of LD nurses to safely and securely remain at the bedside and provide high-touch, hands-on labor support are needed. The findings of our study can help facilitate the provision of labor support during times of disruption and foster the resiliency of the nursing workforce.Keywords
Full text:
Available
Collection:
International databases
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Prenatal Care
/
Primary Health Care
/
Delivery, Obstetric
/
Pregnant Women
/
COVID-19
/
Nurses
Type of study:
Observational study
/
Qualitative research
/
Randomized controlled trials
Limits:
Adult
/
Female
/
Humans
/
Middle aged
/
Pregnancy
Country/Region as subject:
North America
Language:
English
Journal:
J Obstet Gynecol Neonatal Nurs
Journal subject:
Nursing
/
Gynecology
/
Obstetrics
/
Perinatology
Year:
2021
Document Type:
Article
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