Search

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has placed a significant pressure on the nursing workforce, leading to an increased risk of infection and work-related issues impacting nurses' mental health. This review aims to explore the workplace challenges faced by older nurses and their impact on mental health., Method: This qualitative systematic review followed the Joanna Briggs Institute methodology., Results: The review included 32 studies and identified three interconnected themes: heavy workload and nature of nursing, lack of recognition and feeling undervalued, and challenges in balancing personal life and work. These themes illustrated the complexity of the workplace challenges faced by older nurses., Discussion and Conclusion: Workplace demands and shift work were common negative contributors to mental health and wellbeing. The physical and cognitive capacity of older nurses may diminish due to age-related changes, making the workload more challenging. Recognition and support from the organisation, especially from management and leadership, played a crucial role in nurses' resilience. more...

Background: Construction and nursing are critical industries. Although both careers involve physically and mentally demanding work, the risks to workers during the COVID-19 pandemic are not well understood. Nurses (both younger and older) are more likely to experience the ill effects of burnout and stress than construction workers, likely due to accelerated work demands and increased pressure on nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic. In this study, we analyzed a large social media data set using advanced natural language processing techniques to explore indicators of the mental status of workers across both industries before and during the COVID-19 pandemic., Objective: This social media analysis aims to fill a knowledge gap by comparing the tweets of younger and older construction workers and nurses to obtain insights into any potential risks to their mental health due to work health and safety issues., Methods: We analyzed 1,505,638 tweets published on Twitter (subsequently rebranded as X) by younger and older (aged <45 vs >45 years) construction workers and nurses. The study period spanned 54 months, from January 2018 to June 2022, which equates to approximately 27 months before and 27 months after the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a global pandemic on March 11, 2020. The tweets were analyzed using big data analytics and computational linguistic analyses., Results: Text analyses revealed that nurses made greater use of hashtags and keywords (both monograms and bigrams) associated with burnout, health issues, and mental health compared to construction workers. The COVID-19 pandemic had a pronounced effect on nurses' tweets, and this was especially noticeable in younger nurses. Tweets about health and well-being contained more first-person singular pronouns and affect words, and health-related tweets contained more affect words. Sentiment analyses revealed that, overall, nurses had a higher proportion of positive sentiment in their tweets than construction workers. However, this changed markedly during the COVID-19 pandemic. Since early 2020, sentiment switched, and negative sentiment dominated the tweets of nurses. No such crossover was observed in the tweets of construction workers., Conclusions: The social media analysis revealed that younger nurses had language use patterns consistent with someone experiencing the ill effects of burnout and stress. Older construction workers had more negative sentiments than younger workers, who were more focused on communicating about social and recreational activities rather than work matters. More broadly, these findings demonstrate the utility of large data sets enabled by social media to understand the well-being of target populations, especially during times of rapid societal change., (©Weicong Li, Liyaning Maggie Tang, Jed Montayre, Celia B Harris, Sancia West, Mark Antoniou. Originally published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research (https://www.jmir.org), 05.06.2024.) more...

Background: Depression in older people living in residential aged care is a serious and highly prevalent health issue, with loneliness and social isolation being major contributors. The COVID-19 pandemic underscored the harm visiting restrictions have on the mental wellbeing of older people in residential aged care. However, there is a need to systematically review the relationship between family visits and depression in this population., Objective: This literature review seeks to explore the association between family visits and depression among those living in residential aged care., Methods: An integrative review was conducted in March 2022, based on a search of seven databases from inception to 2022. Papers were included if the studies were situated in a residential aged care facility and explored the impact of in-person family visits on depression of residents. Those that examined impact of family visits on community-dwelling older people and papers examining virtual family visits were excluded. The quality of the included papers was assessed using appropriate critical appraisal tools. Guided by the aim of this study, the included papers were narratively synthesised and presented thematically (PROSPERO ID CRD42022325895)., Results: Ten papers, published between 1991 and 2022, were included in the final synthesis. Multiple categorisations of frequency of visits and different scales were used to assess depression. Depression among residents in aged care facilities varied from 20 % to 58.7 % with 40 % of studies showing a positive association between the frequency of family visits and lower rate of depression. Three themes influencing the association between family visits and depression in residential aged care were identified. These were: (i) intersection of culture, filial values, and depression; (ii) resident-related factors including whether admission was voluntary and presence of functional impairment; and (iii) non-resident-related factors such as social activities for residents and staff involvement., Conclusion: Family visits ameliorated loneliness and depression among residents in aged care however, other factors such as culture, comorbidities and functional impairment, opportunities for socialisation and the social involvement of facility staff also influenced depression. Whilst the low number of studies reviewed limited comparison and generalisation of results, the review highlighted the broader and crucial role of healthcare staff in facilitating socialisation and promoting mental wellbeing of residents especially those who are not visited by families., Tweetable Abstract: Family visits ameliorate depression in institutionalised older people but may not be the "silver bullet" as depression is multifactorial., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2023 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.) more...

Objective: Being in direct contact with COVID-19 patients for long periods increases the risk of infection among frontline workers. The purpose of this study was to identify levels of empathy and psychological concern among medical students during the COVID-19 pandemic., Methods: An online cross-sectional study was conducted among medical interns divided into two groups: those who worked on the frontline (n = 87) and those who did not (n = 63) during the COVID pandemic. The students completed the Interpersonal Reactivity Index, Maslach Burnout Inventory, Perceived Stress Scale, and Patient Health Questionnaire., Results: The majority of respondents were women (70.7%), and the mean age was 25.45 ± 3.93 years. In unadjusted analyses, those who worked with COVID-19 patients had a higher level of empathy, stress, burnout symptoms, and depressive symptoms. In the logistic regression analyses, students who worked on the frontline during the COVID-19 pandemic had a higher level of empathy (OR: 1.27; 95% CI: 1.16-1.14), higher perceived stress levels (OR: 1.21; 95% CI: 1.05-1.39), and greater burnout symptoms (OR: 1.19; 95% CI: 1.10-1.30)., Conclusion: Medical students in the internship period who worked on the frontline during the COVID-19 pandemic had more psychological concerns and higher levels of empathy compared to those who did not work on the frontline. more...

Background: High exit rates, stalling entry rates, population ageing, and, most recently, the COVID-19 pandemic have placed significant strain on the world's nursing workforce. Both developed and developing countries face similar predicaments. Evidence-based programmes to support older nurses in the workplace are urgently needed to ensure the sustainability of a career in nursing for this group of healthcare professionals., Objectives: To scope and synthesise available evidence on evaluated programmes and interventions implemented to support the ageing nursing workforce's health, wellbeing, and retention., Design: A literature review of available evidence using a systematic approach., Method: Medline, Scopus, PsycINFO and CINAHL were searched for relevant peer-reviewed evidence. Data from the peer-reviewed literature were extracted separately into purpose designed-extraction spreadsheets. Information relevant to study design, intervention design, outcome constructs, intervention outcomes, and barriers and enablers to intervention success were collected. The protocol for this review was registered in PROSPERO [CRD42021274491]., Results: Eighteen published studies were included in this review. We identified a range of interventions and programmes that have been implemented to support older nurses, which included flexible and reduced work arrangements, mentoring programmes, exercise and lifestyle interventions, continued professional development and purpose-designed remote retreats. We found limited evidence of evaluated outcomes from workplace support interventions that addresses the actual challenges faced by ageing nurses as reported in previous literature reviews. Interventions that were designed to promote a sense of purpose at work resulted in positive outcomes and appeared to more directly address the stated needs of older nurses. Holistic programmes and interventions that could potentially promote both physical well-being and psychological well-being required a broader, whole-of-organisation approach rather than more piecemeal interventions addressing individual physical and mental health concerns. Interventions which acknowledged older nurses' clinical expertise and experience (e.g., mentoring programmes) were linked to positive outcomes., Conclusion: Future intervention efforts should acknowledge and balance intervention participation opportunities against existing everyday workload constraints faced by older nurses. Our review suggests the need for further intervention studies assessing specific outcomes such as psychological and emotional health, as well as interventions that more directly address the most pressing concerns that ageing nurses report at personal and organisational levels. A paradigm shift in productivity measurement in clinical nursing work is required in order to increase the value placed on the unique contribution of older nurses working clinically, particularly in sharing their acquired knowledge, skill, and expertise., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.) more...

Aim: This study aimed to examine the differences in health status between patients with confirmed COVID-19 and those suspected (other diagnosis) and to identify nursing diagnoses using a structured checklist from a hospital in China., Design: Cross-sectional study design was used., Methods: One hundred sixty COVID-19 confirmed, and suspected patients were conveniently selected. A structured survey and checklist were utilized. Independent t test and chi-square test were employed to compare the mean between patients with confirmed coronavirus infection and others. A two-sided p-value of .05 or less is considered statistically significant., Results: The study yielded a response rate of 93.6%. The result indicated that patients with confirmed coronavirus infection have a higher proportion of perceived General Health Status than inpatients with suspected (other) diagnoses. The finding also indicated that ineffective airway clearance, hyperthermia, imbalanced nutrition less than body requirement and sleep pattern disturbance were the main nursing diagnoses identified., (© 2022 The Authors. Nursing Open published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.) more...

Background: The devastating effects of COVID-19 sparked debates among professionals in the fields of health, law, and bioethics regarding policies on mandatory vaccination for healthcare workers. Suboptimal vaccine uptake among healthcare workers had been implicated in the increased risk of nosocomial spread of COVID infection and absenteeism among healthcare workers, impacting the quality of patient care. However, mandatory vaccine policies were also seen to encroach on the autonomy of healthcare workers., Aims and Objectives: To synthesise the arguments for and against mandatory vaccination for healthcare workers (HCWs) and its long-term impact on the healthcare workforce, through an analysis of texts and opinions of professionals from different fields of study., Methods: This is a systematic review of opinions published in peer-reviewed journals. After initial search in Cochrane and JBI systematic review databases to ensure no previous review had been done, five databases were searched (PsychInfo, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), Medline and Scopus). Inclusion criteria were: 1) focused on COVID-19; 2) healthcare workers specific; 3) specific to mandatory vaccination; 4) opinion piece with an identified author; and 5) in English., Exclusion: 1) focus on other vaccine preventable diseases, not COVID-19 and 2) discussion on mandatory vaccination not-specific to healthcare workers. The Joanna Briggs Critical Appraisal tool for Text and Opinions was used to assess quality. Data were synthesised in the summary table., Results: The review included 28 opinion and viewpoint articles. Of these, 12 (43 %) adopted a pro-mandatory vaccination stance, 13 (46 %) were neutral or had presented arguments from both sides of the debate and only three (11 %) were against. The overall arguments among those who were pro-, neutral and anti-mandatory COVID-19 vaccination were underpinned by ethical, moral and legal principles of such a mandate on a vulnerable healthcare workforce. This review highlighted the polarised opinions concerning choices, human rights, professional responsibilities and personal risks (i.e. health risks, losing a job) with the introduction of vaccination mandate. However, the articles found in this review discussed mandatory vaccination of healthcare workers in the USA, Europe and Australia only., Conclusion: The review underscores the need to balance the rights of the public to safe and quality care with the rights and moral obligations of healthcare workers during a public health emergency. This can be achieved when policies and mandates are guided by reliable scientific evidence which are flexible in considering legal and ethical dilemmas., Tweetable Abstract: To mandate or not to mandate COVID-19 vaccination for healthcare workers: A synthesis of published opinions in health, law, and bioethics., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest None., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.) more...

Objectives: To examine loneliness experienced by middle-aged and older Chinese immigrants and its association with accepting technology as a companion (apps, Internet and robots) versus owning pets, when social distancing measures were implemented in New Zealand during the first COVID-19 outbreak., Methods: This study conducted a community-based cross-sectional survey. Chinese immigrants who were 45-87 years old (n = 173) were invited to answer an online survey in the Chinese language, collecting demographic data, responses to the 6-item De Jong Gierveld Loneliness Scale and experiences in using technology and pet ownership. Descriptive analyses and inferential statistics tests were utilised in the data analysis., Results: A moderate level of overall loneliness with a mean score of 3.68 (SD 1.84), ranging from 0 to 6, was reported by participants. Emotional and social loneliness ranged from 0 to 3 with mean scores of 1.69 (SD 0.98) and 1.99 (SD 1.24), respectively. Self-reported health, financial status, English language abilities, transportation and experiences of using the Internet and apps were significantly related to experiencing loneliness. Loneliness had a weak association with acceptance of robots and pets, but 67.8% and 58.3% of participants who felt lonely, accepted companionship of robots and pets, respectively., Conclusions: The level of loneliness among older and middle-aged immigrants increased during the COVID-19 pandemic. Further evidence of the specific dimensions of loneliness and the utility of technology to alleviate loneliness among immigrant groups is needed. Interventions tailored for older people with specific cultural requirements to address loneliness are needed., (© 2022 AJA Inc.) more...

This study aimed to explore the experiences of nurses in Wuhan Hospital as front-line workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. A descriptive qualitative study of such nurses was conducted from a tertiary hospital in Wuhan. Semi-structured individual interviews were undertaken with 8 registered nurses who were front-line health workers in one of the COVID-19 wards and 3 nursing managers from the response team. Five discrete themes were identified from the narratives of nurses' experiences during the COVID-19 outbreak in Wuhan: "content of fundamental care," "teamwork," "reciprocity," "nurses' own worries," and "lifelong learning and insights." Nurses in the front line of care during the COVID-19 pandemic can contribute important information from their hands-on experience for providing a holistic response to an infectious outbreak like COVID-19. The concerns nurses raised at both personal and professional levels have implications for nursing education and clinical practice settings, particularly in the time of a pandemic when nurses' well-being requires attention, and at the same time for considering organizational factors that enable nurses to provide care to patients with confidence. Hospital policies and nursing management need to be ready and adhere to flexible work planning systems and approaches during a pandemic., (© 2022 The Authors. Nursing & Health Sciences published by John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd.) more...

Aims and Objectives: To synthesise evidence regarding vaccination intention, identify factors contributing to vaccine hesitancy among healthcare professionals and the general populations globally., Background: As COVID-19 vaccine becomes available worldwide, attention is being directed to community vaccine uptake, to achieve population-wide immunity. A number of factors have been reported to influence vaccine intention., Methods: Following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines, a systematic search of COVID-19 vaccination intention related literature published on or before 31 December 2020 from seven databases was undertaken., Results: Thirty articles were included in this systematic review. Overall COVID-19 vaccination intention during the first year of the pandemic ranged from 27.7% to 93.3%. Findings highlighted that socio-demographic differences, perceptions of risk and susceptibility to COVID-19 and vaccine attributes influenced vaccination intention. Healthcare professionals particularly, nurses have higher vaccine hesitancy reportedly due to concerns regarding vaccine safety and efficacy and mistrust of health authorities. Negative information about COVID-19 vaccines in the social media and low confidence in the health system were associated with lower acceptability among the community. Interestingly, cumulative increase in COVID-19 caseloads of countries over time was not associated with vaccination intention., Conclusions: The significant variability in vaccine intention rates worldwide would hamper efforts to achieve immunity against COVID-19. Nurses' concerns about vaccine safety and efficacy need to be addressed to increase vaccine acceptance and maximise their influence on vaccination decision in the community. As misinformation through social media negatively impacts vaccination uptake, authoritative and reliable information on vaccine attributes, disease risks and vaccination benefits are needed., Relevance to Clinical Practice: Concerns about vaccine safety and efficacy including misinformation are important contributors to vaccine hesitancy. Addressing these factors, particularly among nurses who are considered trusted influencers of vaccination decisions in the community is an important strategy for pandemic preparedness., (© 2021 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.) more...