Work-related psychosocial challenges and coping strategies among nursing workforce during the COVID-19 pandemic: a scoping review
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Date
2023
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
BMC Nursing
Abstract
Background Nurses and midwives have been stretched by the COVID-19 pandemic amidst the heroic roles they
have played during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic. Nurses stood tall among their peers in the healthcare
industry saving lives. The pandemic has had a toll on nurses physically, psychologically, and socio-economically.
The numerous deaths have traumatized nurses coupled with the fear of possible infection. Nurses have seen their
colleagues and loved ones lose their lives to the pandemic, nevertheless, they still render care to patients no matter
the circumstances. Due to that, it is imperative to ascertain the extent to which nurses who are much needed in
healthcare delivery have been affected by this pandemic. This scoping review used Arksey and O’Malley’s review
methodology to investigate the nature of work-related psychosocial challenges nurses encountered during the peak
of the pandemic, noting the major contributors to the challenges and the coping strategies used to address them.
Methods We performed a scoping review and searched for articles from five databases including PUBMED, CINAHL,
SCOPUS, Google Scholar, and Grey literature from December 2019 to December 2021. A total of 7,334 articles were
retrieved for the study but 45 met the inclusion criteria.
Results Work-related psychosocial challenges identified included stress, burnout (emotional exhaustion and
depersonalization), Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, depression, sleeplessness, and anxiety. Factors that accounted for
the challenges were inadequate personal protective equipment (PPEs), discomfort using the PPEs, extreme workload,
and fatigue. Nurses experienced job insecurity, business closure, and separation from family and loved ones, and
these contributed to their challenges. Strategies used to deal with the challenges centred on emotion-focused and
problem-focused coping.
Conclusions The study recommends regular counselling and support for all nurses working at the frontline to help
them better cope with the devastating effects of the pandemic so that they could build resilience towards future
pandemics.
Description
Research Article
Keywords
Coping strategies, COVID-19, Nurses, Psychosocial challenges, Work-related