Stress in palliative care nursing staff while coping with COVID-19

ABSTRACT

Objective: To identify the prevalence of occupational stress among nursing professionals working in palliative care during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, and associated sociodemographic and occupational factors. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study with a quantitative approach, conducted in an exclusive oncologic palliative care unit of a public oncology hospital of national reference. Data collection was performed between April and May of 2020, using two instruments. The Poisson regression model with robust variance was used for data analysis. Results: The sample was composed of 71 professionals, working with patients suspected of or with a confirmed diagnosis of COVID-19. The medium/high level of stress outcome was prevalent in 42.2% of professionals, with higher prevalence among nurses (65.0%), who worked during the day shift (55.2%) and who had worked for more than eight years in palliative care (45.1%). Only the variables "position" and "living alone" showed a significant association with medium/high stress. Conclusion: According the results, institutions must develop psychological and occupational interventions that can reduce the mental impact generated by nursing work during COVID-19.Increased stress was found among nurses, as they are involved in care and bureaucratic issues, which adds to their responsibility to the team, and among professionals who lived alone, due to impact generated by isolation and lack of close family support.