Level of resilience of frontline nurses in the era of COVID-19 pandemic
Date First Published:
September 7, 2022
Last Updated:
September 8, 2022
Report by:
Ching Yiu Tung, Registered nurse (Hospital Authority)
Search checked by:
Ching Yiu Tung, Hospital Authority
Three-Part Question:
In [Frontline nurses works in the era of COVID-19 pandemic], does [the higher level of burnout] result in [lower level of resilience]?
Clinical Scenario:
Your Head of Department is considering the implementation of psychological support for staff with poor resilience. He is wondering whether the COVID-19 pandemic worsens the level of resilience of frontline nurses during the COVID pandemic.
Search Strategy:
Medline 1966-04 using the OVID interface
Search Details:
Title and Abstract: (COVID OR COVID-19 OR coronavirus OR SARS-CoV-2) AND (Resilience) AND (Nurse)
Further limit to papers published in English language and full text available
Further limit to papers published in English language and full text available
Outcome:
30 papers were identified. After a review of the abstracts, 4 were deemed relevant to the discussion.
Relevant Paper(s):
| Study Title | Patient Group | Study type (level of evidence) | Outcomes | Key results | Study Weaknesses |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prospective study of emergency medicine provider wellness across ten academic and community hospitals during the initial surge of the COVID-19 pandemic Kelker, Yoder, Musey, et al 24-Mar-21 USA | 213 EM physicians and advanced practice providers (e.g. nurse practitioners and physician assistants) | Prospective study | Resilience (Brief Resilience Scale) during the initial acceleration phase of COVID-19 | Baseline resilience was normal to high. | This paper had several weaknesses, including a small sample size and voluntary response bias because an online survey as an instrument. |
| Original Research: Well-Being and Resilience Among Health Care Workers During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Cross-Sectional Study Munn, Liu, Swick et al Aug-21 USA | 6,120 nurses, advanced practice providers, certified registered nurse anaesthetists, respiratory therapists, health care technicians, and therapy service professionals. | Cross-Sectional Study | Resilience | Four factors found to have significantly associated with higher resilience, including Feeling that the organization understands the emotional support needs of healthcare workers during the pandemic; Believing that sufficient educational resources were available to help workers safely care for COVID-19-positive patients; Having positive perceptions of leadership support from direct managers; Believing that staff redeployment to critical areas was necessary to meet patient and team needs. | This study took place in a single healthcare system, and around half of the targeted participants rejected to participate. Hence, the generalizability of findings from this study might be limited. |
| Emergency Department Nursing Burnout and Resilience Phillips, Knowlton, and Riseden June 15, 2020 USA | 16 articles | Integrative literature review | Resilience | Self-discipline, optimism, goal-oriented behaviors, and decisive-action characteristics formulate an ED nurse with high levels of resilience. | The chances to be biased in this review increase as there is no set method to confirm all literature on the topic to be considered. |
| Level of resilience in nurses working at COVID-19 referral centers in Iran. Parizad, Soheili, Powers et al 15-Dec-21 Iran | 233 nurses working at three urban teaching hospitals in the northwest of Iran | Descriptive cross-sectional study | Overall resilience scores | A moderate to high level of resilience in nurses | Research conducted in a small region of Iran, the generalizability of the study finding might be questioned. Also, the study may be biased as a self-reported questionnaire has been adopted as the research instrument. |
| Correlation between Demographic characteristics and resilience | Having family support positively affected nurses' resilience. |
Author Commentary:
There is a moderate to high level of resilience in frontline nurses in the COVID era.
Bottom Line:
In the era of the COVID pandemic, although there is a high level of burnout, multiple studies still showed there is a moderate to high level of resilience in frontline nurses.
References:
- Kelker, Yoder, Musey, et al. Prospective study of emergency medicine provider wellness across ten academic and community hospitals during the initial surge of the COVID-19 pandemic
- Munn, Liu, Swick et al. Original Research: Well-Being and Resilience Among Health Care Workers During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Cross-Sectional Study
- Phillips, Knowlton, and Riseden. Emergency Department Nursing Burnout and Resilience
- Parizad, Soheili, Powers et al . Level of resilience in nurses working at COVID-19 referral centers in Iran.