# Covid-19 pandemic increased psychological burden and stress among nurses

> Based on the results of the descriptive literature review thesis, it was found that Covid-19 pandemic caused additional psychological burden and stress among nurses.

## Overview
The thesis focused on nurses who worked in hospitals’ Intensive Care Units (ICU) during the Covid-19 pandemic, as well as nurses who participated in quickly arranged supplementary training due to labor transfers to the ICU. The purpose of the research was to develop proposals to reduce the psychological burden on nurses working in these abnormal conditions.

## Themes of Psychological Burden
Based on a thematic analysis of the literature, 12 themes emerged regarding the causes of psychological burden among nurses during the pandemic:

* Patient dies alone
* Colleagues don't have ICU knowledge
* Excessive workload
* Limited resources
* Clinical uncertainty
* Deteriorated quality of patient's nursing
* Rapidly changing situations
* Unclear communication
* New work environment
* Fear of spreading the virus to own family
* Poor quality of supplementary training
* Poor support from the management

## Key Findings
Nurses frequently expressed a fear of contracting Covid-19, particularly at the beginning of the pandemic when information regarding the virus and its transmission was limited. Additionally, nurses experienced anxiety regarding their ability to provide appropriate and high-quality patient care.

The study highlighted that nurses did not receive fully comprehensive supplementary training for their new tasks in the ICU. The research suggests that the process of providing and receiving training in busy, abnormal working conditions is psychologically taxing for all parties involved.

## Recommendations
To prevent additional psychological burden and ensure the high quality of nursing work, the following actions are recommended:

* **Invest in comprehensive training:** Ensure staff are adequately prepared for new work tasks.
* **Support employees:** Provide robust support systems for staff working in abnormal conditions.
* **Clear communication:** Maintain transparent and consistent communication channels.
* **Increase mobility:** Increase the mobility of nurses during normal working conditions to facilitate easier allocation to different hospital clinics as needed.

## Authors
* **Heli Hassinen**, student, Master of Global Public Health, Savonia University of Applied Sciences
* **Maria Luojus**, PhD, lecturer, Savonia University of Applied Sciences