CN40 - Nurses’ experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic: Multicenter mixed-methods study of coping and resilience strategies

Background

Oncology nurses have faced many challenges and sacrifices during the COVID-19 pandemic, often hidden behind the need to protect very fragile patients. Therefore, we conducted a cross-sectional study to evaluate the resilience and coping strategies of nurses working in the oncology setting.

Methods

A multicenter, sequential, explanatory mixed-methods study was conducted, in which quantitative and qualitative data were collected and analyzed sequentially and individually. Nurses in two Oncology Departments in Northeast Italy were enrolled from May to October 2021. The Italian versions of the CD-RISK and COPE-NIV-25 questionnaires were mailed to 276 nurses working during the COVID-19 pandemic, and data were collected through an electronic procedure (REDCap). The COPE-NIV-25 questionnaire was standardized on a 0-100 scale. Semi-structured interviews with purposeful sampling until saturation were conducted in the qualitative study. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and the Colaizzi framework (1978) was used for content analysis.

Results

164 nurses responded to the questionnaires (response rate 59%) and 15 were interviewed for the qualitative study. The mean CD-RISK score was 93.5 (SD: 12.9), and was significantly higher in nurses with a Master’s or PhD degree (98.7 ±11.4). Analysis of the COPE-NIV-25 subscales revealed good strategies for problem orientation (78.3±11.8), social support (70.1±13.9), and positive attitude (77.4 ±12.5), while the mean values were low for transcendent orientation (46.8±27.8) and avoidance strategies (33.3±12.2). The analysis of nurses’ interviews highlighted the way participants experienced coping and resilience strategies, and the following themes emerged: changing; feelings/emotions; professionalism and nursing responsibilities; strategies; teamwork, and learning needs.

Conclusions

The investigation of nurses’ experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic provides a unique opportunity to understand their resilience and coping strategies. This study provides relevant information to plan support for oncology nurses to help them maintain their coping strategies and resilience during long lasting emergencies.

Clinical trial identification

Editorial acknowledgement

Legal entity responsible for the study

The authors.

Funding

Has not received any funding.

Disclosure

All authors have declared no conflicts of interest.