Communication problems of nurses and operation of the nursing department during the pandemic Covid-19

ABSTRACT

Introduction: The pandemic brought about changes in the operation of the nursing departments. Staffing problems arose that required immediate resolution but also effective communication problems due to personal protection measures.

Purpose: The purpose of the present study was to investigate the functionality of the nursing team and possible communication barriers due to Personal Protection Measures. Additional objectives related to perceptions of vaccination and barriers to departmental functioning due to it.

Material and Methods: The total sample consisted of 42 nurses and 36 nurses' assistants working in the Covid-19 wards at Alexandroupoli hospital. Data were collected from February to March 2022 by questionnaire, in paper form and in an online form. The statistical analysis was done with the SPSS program (IBM Corp. Released 2019, IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, v.26.0, Armonk.

Results: The working group of nurses with permanent and auxiliary staff maintains good interpersonal relations, but the lack of training of the auxiliary staff does not inspire confidence in 57.1%. The work of the supervisors is recognized with positive opinions in a percentage of >90%, the mandatory vaccination and the suspension of work burdens the operation of the hospital, while a small percentage, 28.6% of the nurses have negative return attitudes towards non-vaccinated colleagues. 74% of nurses state that PPE causes difficulty in breathing and in their work in a percentage of 42.9%.

Conclusions: The results of the study indicate that the use of PPE causes difficulties at the individual and work level. Hospitals in a period of health crisis need the existence of experienced staff, while good, effective communication and cooperation between permanent and auxiliary staff does not fully contribute for all nurses to the good operation of the nursing departments.

Keywords: COVID-19 pandemic, vaccination, personal protective equipment,  communication, nurses team