In nursing research, establishing a connection with stakeholders is essential to implementing evidence-based change. The nurse researcher must provide evidence demonstrating the problem to the administrators and offering actionable solutions. At the same time, providing information to nurses and patients is vital to motivate engagement and lead to a positive view of transformation. The current research topic is the development of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among nurses working during the COVID-19 pandemic. It is important for two major stakeholder groups: organization administrators and nurses. Data presentation is based on each group’s main subjects of concern and should demonstrate how nurses’ mental health affects their performance.
First, nurses’ PTSD during COVID-19 should interest organization administrators because of the nurses’ direct impact on organizational performance. In this case, the information shown to stakeholders includes the prevalence of nurses experiencing PTSD – almost 40% of nurses received a PTSD diagnosis in one study (Marcomini et al., 2021). This statistic demonstrates that the problem is urgent and requires action from management. Second, the consequences of the diagnosis should be shown, as nurses’ performance impacts the hospital’s care quality. Nurses report a decreased ability to care for patients and experience a lack of support from their workplace (Foli et al., 2021). The findings demonstrated to this stakeholder group are aimed at encouraging organizational support and creating programs to help nurses cope with the highly stressful environment.
The second type of stakeholder is nurses, who may experience the problems investigated in the research project. To build a connection with peers, it is vital to emphasize the individual and professional outcomes of working during the pandemic. According to Leng et al. (2021), many nurses experienced a shortage of personal protective equipment, increased workload, exhaustion, fear of infection, and more. This has led to nurses experiencing anxiety, intrusive thoughts, PTSD, and related symptoms (Marcomini et al., 2021). Moreover, some nurses developed maladaptive behavior patterns and engaged in substance abuse (Leng et al., 2021). It is vital to show the damaging effect of inadequate support during the COVID-19 pandemic to motivate nurses to ask for change.
The research on PTSD among nurses working through the pandemic can contribute to nursing practice and leadership in organizations. As it is focused on the consequences for nurses, it can be used to develop solutions and push organizations to deal with future outbreaks differently, accounting for nurses’ mental health. Moreover, it adds to the current scholarship that revolves around the impact of the pandemic on front-line workers. Mental health among nurses is an important subject as it relates to their health and the overall quality of healthcare (Leng et al., 2021). It can also provide a foundation for future researchers who aim to investigate the effectiveness of solutions or check the long-term outcomes of working during the pandemic.
Based on the findings, it is possible to make general recommendations to improve nurses’ mental health and resilience in the long term. For example, organizations may create training opportunities for nurses to deal with stress in difficult situations or prepare for different assignments (Leng et al., 2021). Disaster preparedness is another skill that can be taught to nurses to increase their resilience and improve their mental health. Leadership changes may include direct communication, care, focus on authentic relationships, and openness. Finally, psychological support for nurses, including support groups and individual consultations, may be introduced to deal with the short- and long-term effects of PTSD and similar mental health issues.
In conclusion, the present study reviews the mental health of nurses and the development of PTSD due to working during the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic has significantly impacted nurses’ workload and increased stress levels, affecting their mental health and performance. This topic is vital for administrators and nurses – the first group is interested in performance quality and nurses’ skills, while the second focuses on individual and group outcomes. Thus, one has to focus on different parts of the research to engage stakeholders and motivate them to introduce changes by supporting nurses’ mental health and teaching resilience.
References
Foli, K. J., Forster, A., Cheng, C., Zhang, L., & Chiu, Y. C. (2021). Voices from the COVID‐19 frontline: Nurses’ trauma and coping. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 77(9), 3853–3866. Web.
Leng, M., Wei, L., Shi, X., Cao, G., Wei, Y., Xu, H., Zhang, X., Zhang, W., Xing, S., & Wei, H. (2021). Mental distress and influencing factors in nurses caring for patients with COVID‐19. Nursing in Critical Care, 26(2), 94–101. Web.
Marcomini, I., Agus, C., Milani, L., Sfogliarini, R., Bona, A., & Castagna, M. (2021). COVID-19 and post-traumatic stress disorder among nurses: A descriptive cross-sectional study in a COVID hospital. La Medicina del Lavoro, 112(3), 241–249. Web.