ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: The risk to physicians who worked with patients without confirmed COVID-19 testing during the pandemic has been little studied. However, they were at high risk. METHODS: In the summer of 2020, 1285 Romanian physicians participated in a single-center study. Participants (mean age = 48.21 years; 302 males and 982 females, all specialties) completed a series of single-item measures adapted from previous studies on work ethics and responsibility. This study used Mann-Whitney comparisons between physicians who reported that they knowingly had direct contact with COVID patients and those who did not regarding their willingness to work. RESULTS: Compared with their colleagues, physicians who reported not knowingly having direct contact with COVID patients reported less access to protective equipment, less overall willingness to respond when asked to work with infected patients, more likely to work out of fear of losing their jobs, and fear of legal repercussions. They received less training in the use of protective equipment. CONCLUSIONS: Physicians who worked with patients not yet diagnosed with COVID-19 were significantly less willing to work. The perception of invisible risk may explain the observed differences.
ABSTRACT
The use of computerized technologies as an integral part of nursing has become a reality in the health care system. Studies present different approaches that range from accepting technology as a health promoter to an approach that opposes computerization. This study, which examined social and instrumental processes that influence nurses' attitudes toward computer technology, will present a model for the optimal assimilation of computer technology in the nurses' work environment. The study, which included 224 participants, was designed as a mixed method and included questionnaires and semi-structured interviews of participants. The data were analyzed to understand the factors that influenced nurses' attitudes toward the use of computer technology. The research findings show that the more clearly nurses understand the positive impact of using technology on the quality of care, the more positive their response to changes in registration and reporting methods. It is not surprising that the research findings found that cognitive instrumental processes and social influence processes have a positive effect on the perceived usefulness of using computer technologies. The unusual finding was the fact that cognitive instrumental processes were the main factor influencing the assimilation of computer technology even though nursing is a social profession.
