PERCEIVED RESILIENCE AND PATIENT SAFETY OF DUTCH NURSING STAFF DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC

Abstract

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic imposed enormous challenges for healthcare professionals. Nursing staff had to work under psychological pressure to maintain patient safety. Resilience has proven to be a protective psychological health factor that can safeguard healthcare professionals’ mental health and well-being during healthcare crises. The state of resilience among Dutch healthcare professionals is not yet known. Objective: This study investigated perceived resilience and perception of patient safety during the COVID-19 pandemic among Dutch nursing staff. Additionally, individual differences in resilience were examined in relation to patient safety. Method: An online survey about resilience and patient safety was sent to 2,611 members of the Dutch Nursing Staff Panel in June 2021, after the third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in the Netherlands. Results: 884 certified nursing staff professionals completed the survey (33% response rate). Nursing staff considered themselves resilient with a positive perception of patient safety within their organization. Factors that influenced resilience were education, age, part-time employment, experiences with treating patients with a COVID-19 infection, and having suffered from a COVID-19 infection. Nursing staff who perceived higher resilience reported to act more flexible during their work, to encounter more unexpected situations and they found that working according protocols and guidelines had improved during the pandemic. Discussion: The results show a more positive pattern compared to other European countries. In the Netherlands, nursing staff considered themselves as highly resilient. Conclusions: Resilient healthcare professionals report to be better able to handle crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic. Optimally, strengthening individual resilience for the healthcare organization may secure the patient safety of health care in the future.