<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">

<sec>
<h3>Objective</h3>
<p>To provide insight into the effects of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic on the physical and psychological health of critical care nurses in adult units.</p>
</sec>
<sec>
<h3>Methods</h3>
<p>A systematic search through the CINAHL, MEDLINE, and EMbase databases were performed. Studies that addressed “critical care nurses,” “COVID-19,” “physical effect,” and “psychological effect” from different perspectives were reviewed.</p>
</sec>
<sec>
<h3>Results</h3>
<p>A total of 42 articles were reviewed based on 2 aspects: critical care nurses’ psychological and physical health. Negative emotions were the most common conditions: fear, anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Burnout, falling ill and having thoughts of self-harm, fatigue, physical burden, sleeping disorders, and chronic work overload also adversely affected the nurses’ health. The nurses’ health deteriorated because of the changes in the unfamiliar working environment and processes, colossal workload and chronic exhaustion, worries about themselves and their families, social response, and witnessing the death toll.</p>
</sec>
<sec>
<h3>Conclusions</h3>
<p>Critical care nurses experienced adverse effects of the institutional reaction, social response, and individuals’ reply to the COVID-19 pandemic upon their psychological and physical health. Supporting services and preparation for other unprecedented situations should be sustainably available.</p>
</sec>
</abstract>

Objective
To provide insight into the effects of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic on the physical and psychological health of critical care nurses in adult units.


Methods
A systematic search through the CINAHL, MEDLINE, and EMbase databases were performed. Studies that addressed “critical care nurses,” “COVID-19,” “physical effect,” and “psychological effect” from different perspectives were reviewed.


Results
A total of 42 articles were reviewed based on 2 aspects: critical care nurses’ psychological and physical health. Negative emotions were the most common conditions: fear, anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Burnout, falling ill and having thoughts of self-harm, fatigue, physical burden, sleeping disorders, and chronic work overload also adversely affected the nurses’ health. The nurses’ health deteriorated because of the changes in the unfamiliar working environment and processes, colossal workload and chronic exhaustion, worries about themselves and their families, social response, and witnessing the death toll.


Conclusions
Critical care nurses experienced adverse effects of the institutional reaction, social response, and individuals’ reply to the COVID-19 pandemic upon their psychological and physical health. Supporting services and preparation for other unprecedented situations should be sustainably available.

Impacts of fighting against COVID-19 on critical care nurses’ psychological and physical health: a literature review

Frontiers of Nursing

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Objective
To provide insight into the effects of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic on the physical and psychological health of critical care nurses...

PEO framework	Search terms⁺⁺
Population	Critical care or ICU nurse or critical care or ICU or intensive care
Exposure	COVID-19 or coronavirus or 2019-NCOV or SARS-COV-2 or COV-19
Outcome	Physical health or physical wellbeing or physical illness or physical health problems or physical effect or physical impact* or physical result* or physical outcome* or mental health or psychological wellbeing or psychological illness or psychological health problems or psychological effect or psychological impact* or psychological result* or psychological outcome*

Impacts of fighting against COVID-19 on critical care nurses’ psychological and physical health: a literature review

Article Category: Review

Pubblicato online: 18 dic 2023

Pagine: 381 - 392

Ricevuto: 12 gen 2023

Accettato: 22 mar 2023

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/fon-2023-0041

Parole chiave
critical care nurses, ICU nurses, COVID-19, physical health, physical wellbeing, psychological health, psychological wellbeing

© 2023 Arisara Malairojsiri, published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Figure 1.

Figure 2.

Figure 3.

Figure 4.

Search terms based on PEO framework.

Impacts of fighting against COVID-19 on critical care nurses’ psychological and physical health: a literature review

Article Category: Review

Pubblicato online: 18 dic 2023

Pagine: 381 - 392

Ricevuto: 12 gen 2023

Accettato: 22 mar 2023

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/fon-2023-0041

Parole chiavecritical care nurses, ICU nurses, COVID-19, physical health, physical wellbeing, psychological health, psychological wellbeing

© 2023 Arisara Malairojsiri, published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Figure 1.

Figure 2.

Figure 3.

Figure 4.

Search terms based on PEO framework.

Parole chiave
critical care nurses, ICU nurses, COVID-19, physical health, physical wellbeing, psychological health, psychological wellbeing