Australian emergency nurses' experiences of working with personal protective equipment during the COVID-19 pandemic. A qualitative study

IF 2.1 4区医学 Q2 EMERGENCY MEDICINE

Australasian Emergency Care Pub Date : 2023-09-09 DOI:10.1016/j.auec.2023.08.003

Penelope Dempster , Ana Hutchinson , Elizabeth Oldland , Stéphane L. Bouchoucha

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Introduction

The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed a need to understand the challenges associated with wearing Personal protective Equipment (PPE). The aim in this study was to explore emergency nurses’ experiences early in the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia and the impact of PPE use on their practice.

Methods

An explorative descriptive qualitative study was conducted between January 2022 and April 2022. Eighteen emergency nurses and six leaders participated. Semi-structured interviews (n = 21) and one focus group were conducted. Interview transcripts were analysed using Braun and Clarke’s framework.

Results

Two major themes were identified. The first theme was: (1) The shifting ground of the COVID-19 pandemic response. Associated sub-themes were: i) What’s the go with PPE today? ii) In the beginning we were scrambling for masks; iii) Emergency is the true frontline. The second theme was: (2) Physical and emotional impacts of emergency nursing work. Sub-themes were: (i) Facing the fear of exposure; (ii) By the end of the shift I am just absolutely spent; iii) Discomfort of wearing PPE impacts on compliance.

Conclusions

Healthcare leaders need to secure PPE supply chains and evaluate the effectiveness and side-effects of different PPE designs to minimise occupational harms associated with prolonged PPE use.

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澳大利亚急救护士在 COVID-19 大流行期间使用个人防护设备的经验。定性研究

引言 COVID-19 大流行暴露了人们需要了解与穿戴个人防护装备 (PPE) 相关的挑战。本研究旨在探讨澳大利亚 COVID-19 大流行早期急诊护士的经历，以及个人防护设备的使用对其实践的影响。方法在 2022 年 1 月至 2022 年 4 月期间开展了一项探索性描述定性研究。18 名急诊护士和 6 名领导参加了研究。进行了半结构化访谈（n = 21）和一个焦点小组。采用布劳恩和克拉克的框架对访谈记录进行了分析。第一个主题是：(1) COVID-19 大流行应对措施的转变。相关的次主题有：i) 今天的个人防护设备是怎么回事？ ii) 一开始我们争相购买口罩；iii) 紧急情况才是真正的前线。第二个主题是：（2）急诊护理工作对身心的影响。副主题是(结论医疗保健领导者需要确保个人防护设备供应链的安全，并评估不同个人防护设备设计的有效性和副作用，以最大限度地减少与长期使用个人防护设备相关的职业伤害。

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来源期刊

Australasian Emergency Care Nursing-Emergency Nursing

CiteScore

3.30

自引率

5.60%

发文量

审稿时长

37 days

期刊介绍： Australasian Emergency Care is an international peer-reviewed journal dedicated to supporting emergency nurses, physicians, paramedics and other professionals in advancing the science and practice of emergency care, wherever it is delivered. As the official journal of the College of Emergency Nursing Australasia (CENA), Australasian Emergency Care is a conduit for clinical, applied, and theoretical research and knowledge that advances the science and practice of emergency care in original, innovative and challenging ways. The journal serves as a leading voice for the emergency care community, reflecting its inter-professional diversity, and the importance of collaboration and shared decision-making to achieve quality patient outcomes. It is strongly focussed on advancing the patient experience and quality of care across the emergency care continuum, spanning the pre-hospital, hospital and post-hospital settings within Australasia and beyond.