Nurses on the Front Lines Confronting COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

Nurses worldwide face major health care problems, such as high patient mortality, high health care demands, a reduction in health care supplies, and extraordinary physical and emotional stress. First-line health and nurses working in Intensive Care Units (ICUs) played a significant role in responding to patients with COVID-19 globally. The COVID-19 epidemic marks a world public health crisis that has not been seen in the past century and has spread rapidly worldwide and the associated mortality burden. Health workers worldwide are responding to the demand for treatment of patients with COVID-19, which may result in high costs to their health and well-being. It is increasingly recognized that COVID-19 may affect the mental health of front-line workers, and it calls for psychological and social support. However, little attention has been paid to understanding the impact of working on a pandemic from healthcare workers’ perspectives or their views about support.