SHARE @ Advocate Health - Midwest - Scientific Day: Navigating the Aftermath: Evaluating the Impact of COVID-19 on Nurse Well-Being Resource Use
 

Affiliations

Aurora Medical Center Grafton, Aurora Sinai Medical Center, Aurora BayCare Medical Center, Advocate Good Samaritan Hospital, Aurora Mt. Pleasant Medical Center

Abstract

Background/Significance:

Nurses were experiencing occupational stress with negative psychological effects before COVID-19. The pandemic intensified healthcare delivery demands and significantly impacted healthcare workers with negative psychological effects. Healthcare organizations worked to enhance existing wellness programs and develop new resources to support worker coping and resilience. Little is known about the status of nurses and the extent that wellness resources were used.

Purpose:

The study was conducted to explore nurse perceptions of their psychological status, personal stressors, and use of wellness resources three years after the start of COVID-19. This data collection recruited nurses across all roles during the third (T3) and final phase of COVID-19 Nurse Study that began in 2020.

Methods:

A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted to examine the current status of and wellness resources used by nurses employed by the Midwest region of a large non-profit healthcare system. Metrics included three valid/reliable tools to evaluate self-reported psychological effects. Analysis focused on nurse characteristics, psychological effects, wellness resource use, and identified barriers.

Results:

Participants (N=1388) reported working as clinical nurses (n=1077, 77%), managers/supervisors (n=90, 7%), support (59, 4%) or other roles (n=153, 11%). Many nurses (60%+) reported having 1 or more personal stressors at T3. Screening revealed that nurses had high ratings for distress (n=287, 21%), depression (n=179, 13%), anxiety (n=202, 15%), with a few (n=77, 6%) rating high on all scales across all role types. Over half (n=775, 56%) reported using wellness resources, but most reported using one of the eleven available options. Informal peer support (31%), relaxation (16%), and manager support (16%) were used most often. Some users (110, 14%) reported barriers including limited time (81%), confidentiality (58%), and the resource didn’t help (39%). Only 11% (n=69) of nonusers (n=614, 44%) reported barriers including limited time (55%), confidentiality (45%) and limited access (29%). Low response rate may underestimate the impact on non-participants. Survey methodology may limit full capture of these experiences. Site findings were similar.

Conclusion:

Three years post-COVID-19, the need for emotional and psychological support for nurses remains significant. Utilization patterns and barriers identified in this analysis provide valuable input to confirm the need for tailored resources and inform future resource refinement.

Presentation Notes

Presented at Scientific Day; May 21, 2025; Park Ridge, IL.

Full Text of Presentation

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May 21st, 9:31 AM May 21st, 9:44 AM

Navigating the Aftermath: Evaluating the Impact of COVID-19 on Nurse Well-Being Resource Use

Background/Significance:

Nurses were experiencing occupational stress with negative psychological effects before COVID-19. The pandemic intensified healthcare delivery demands and significantly impacted healthcare workers with negative psychological effects. Healthcare organizations worked to enhance existing wellness programs and develop new resources to support worker coping and resilience. Little is known about the status of nurses and the extent that wellness resources were used.

Purpose:

The study was conducted to explore nurse perceptions of their psychological status, personal stressors, and use of wellness resources three years after the start of COVID-19. This data collection recruited nurses across all roles during the third (T3) and final phase of COVID-19 Nurse Study that began in 2020.

Methods:

A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted to examine the current status of and wellness resources used by nurses employed by the Midwest region of a large non-profit healthcare system. Metrics included three valid/reliable tools to evaluate self-reported psychological effects. Analysis focused on nurse characteristics, psychological effects, wellness resource use, and identified barriers.

Results:

Participants (N=1388) reported working as clinical nurses (n=1077, 77%), managers/supervisors (n=90, 7%), support (59, 4%) or other roles (n=153, 11%). Many nurses (60%+) reported having 1 or more personal stressors at T3. Screening revealed that nurses had high ratings for distress (n=287, 21%), depression (n=179, 13%), anxiety (n=202, 15%), with a few (n=77, 6%) rating high on all scales across all role types. Over half (n=775, 56%) reported using wellness resources, but most reported using one of the eleven available options. Informal peer support (31%), relaxation (16%), and manager support (16%) were used most often. Some users (110, 14%) reported barriers including limited time (81%), confidentiality (58%), and the resource didn’t help (39%). Only 11% (n=69) of nonusers (n=614, 44%) reported barriers including limited time (55%), confidentiality (45%) and limited access (29%). Low response rate may underestimate the impact on non-participants. Survey methodology may limit full capture of these experiences. Site findings were similar.

Conclusion:

Three years post-COVID-19, the need for emotional and psychological support for nurses remains significant. Utilization patterns and barriers identified in this analysis provide valuable input to confirm the need for tailored resources and inform future resource refinement.

 

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