Comparison of sleep quality and its related factors in nurses before and at the same time with the COVID-19 epidemic

Background and Aim: Nurses are exposed to high physical and psychological problems due to high workload. The COVID-19 epidemic has negatively affected their health and especially their sleep quality. This study aimed to compare the quality of sleep and the factors affecting it among Iranian nurses before and at the same time with the COVID-19 epidemic. Methods: This analytical cross-sectional study was performed on 175 frontline nurses in the fight against COVID-19 in 2020. Samples were collected using convenience sampling from two selected military and referral hospitals of COVID-19 in Tehran, Iran. Data were collected using a demographic information form and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Questionnaire. Data were analyzed using SPSS 16 software and one-sample t-test, independent t-test, and one-way analysis of variance. Results: The majority of the samples were male (64%), under 30 years old (41.4%), and with less than 10 years of clinical experience (58.9%). 96% of nurses had poor sleep quality. Comparison of the results of nurses' sleep quality with the same population before the time of the Covid-19 epidemic showed a statistically significant difference (P <0.05). There was a significant difference between gender, marriage, and interest in the organization with poor sleep status (P <0.05). Conclusion: According to the results, nurses did not have good sleep quality. Paying attention to the mental health of staff, especially female nurses, reducing job stress through emotional, psychological, and organizational support to improve the quality of nurses' sleep is recommended. © 2021 Baqiyatallah University of Medical Sciences. All rights reserved.