Australian critical care nurses' knowledge, preparedness, and experiences of managing SARS-COV-2 and COVID-19 pandemic

Shizar Nahidi; Cristina Sotomayor-Castillo; Cecilia Li; Judy Currey; Rosalind Elliott; Ramon Z Shaban

doi:10.1016/j.aucc.2021.04.008

Australian critical care nurses' knowledge, preparedness, and experiences of managing SARS-COV-2 and COVID-19 pandemic

Aust Crit Care. 2022 Jan;35(1):22-27. doi: 10.1016/j.aucc.2021.04.008. Epub 2021 May 12.

Authors

Shizar Nahidi¹, Cristina Sotomayor-Castillo², Cecilia Li³, Judy Currey⁴, Rosalind Elliott⁵, Ramon Z Shaban⁶

Affiliations

¹ Susan Wakil School of Nursing and Midwifery, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW, Australia; Marie Bashir Institute for Infectious Diseases and Biosecurity, University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW, Australia. Electronic address: Shizar.nahidi@sydney.edu.au.
² Susan Wakil School of Nursing and Midwifery, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW, Australia; Marie Bashir Institute for Infectious Diseases and Biosecurity, University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW, Australia. Electronic address: cristina.sotomayor@sydney.edu.au.
³ Susan Wakil School of Nursing and Midwifery, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW, Australia; Marie Bashir Institute for Infectious Diseases and Biosecurity, University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW, Australia. Electronic address: cecilia.z.li@sydney.edu.au.
⁴ Centre for Quality and Patient Safety Research in Institute of Health Transformation; School of Nursing and Midwifery, Deakin University, Geelong, Victoria, Australia; Office of the Deputy Vice Chancellor (Education), Deakin University, Geelong, Victoria, Australia. Electronic address: judy.currey@deakin.edu.au.
⁵ Nursing and Midwifery Research Centre, Nursing and Midwifery Directorate, and Intensive Care Unit, Royal North Shore Hospital, Northern Sydney Local Health District, NSW, Australia; Faculty of Health, University of Technology, Ultimo, NSW, Australia. Electronic address: Rosalind.Elliott@health.nsw.gov.au.
⁶ Susan Wakil School of Nursing and Midwifery, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW, Australia; Marie Bashir Institute for Infectious Diseases and Biosecurity, University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW, Australia; Division of Infectious Diseases and Sexual Health, Westmead Hospital and Western Sydney Local Health District, Westmead, NSW, Australia; New South Wales Biocontainment Centre, Western Sydney Local Health District and New South Wales Health, NSW, Australia. Electronic address: ramon.shaban@sydney.edu.au.

Abstract

Background: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has again highlighted the crucial role of healthcare workers in case management, disease surveillance, policy development, and healthcare education and training. The ongoing pandemic demonstrates the importance of having an emergency response plan that accounts for the safety of frontline healthcare workers, including those working in critical care settings.

Objectives: The aim of the study was to explore Australian critical care nurses' knowledge, preparedness, and experiences of managing patients diagnosed with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection (SARS-CoV-2) and COVID-19.

Methods: An exploratory cross-sectional study of Australian critical care nurses was conducted between June and September 2020. An anonymised online survey was sent to Australian College of Critical Care Nurses' members to collect information about their knowledge, preparedness, and experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic. Descriptive statistics were used to summarise and report data.

Results: A total of 157 critical care nurses participated, with 138 fully complete surveys analysed. Most respondents reported 'good' to 'very good' level of knowledge about COVID-19 and obtained up-to-date COVID-19 information from international and local sources. Regarding managing patients with COVID-19, 82.3% felt sufficiently prepared at the time of data collection, and 93.4% had received specific education, training, or instruction. Most participants were involved in assessing (89.3%) and treating (92.4%) patients with COVID-19. Varying levels of concerns about SARS-CoV-2 infection were expressed by respondents, and 55.7% thought the pandemic had increased their workload. The most frequent concerns expressed by participants were a lack of appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) and fear of PPE shortage.

Conclusions: While most nurses expressed sufficient preparedness for managing COVID-19 patients, specific education had been undertaken and experiential learning was evident. Fears of insufficient or lack of appropriate PPE made the response more difficult for nurses and the community. Preparedness and responsiveness are critical to successful management of the COVID-19 pandemic and future outbreaks of emerging infectious diseases.

Keywords: COVID-19; Clinical experience; Critical care; Knowledge acquisition; Nurse; Preparedness; SARS-CoV-2.

MeSH terms

Australia
COVID-19*
Clinical Competence
Critical Care
Cross-Sectional Studies
Humans
Nurses*
Pandemics
SARS-CoV-2