Determination of Emergency Nurses’ Willingness to Care for COVID-19 Patients and Related Factors during the Pandemic

Background: The willingness of emergency nurses to participate in the treatment and care of infected patients, as essential and important members of the health-care team, is crucial for a dynamic response to epidemics.

Aim: This study was carried out to determine the willingness of emergency nurses to care for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients and related factors.

Methods: This descriptive and cross-sectional study was conducted with 203 nurses in the emergency departments of seven hospitals designated as pandemic hospitals in Istanbul, with an online survey developed in line with the literature. The data were analyzed in the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences program using an independent-sample t-test, Chi-square test, and logistic regression model.

Results: In this study, it was determined that 53.7% of the emergency nurses were not willing to care for COVID-19 patients, 23.2% had trouble keeping their jobs, and 27.6% were considering changing their departments or professions. There was a significant difference between the willingness and the variables of marital status, having a child, institution, and training status specific to COVID-19 patients (P < 0.05). The determining factors in the willingness of the nurses were the confidence in their knowledge and skills in managing COVID-19 and the belief that they would be protected from COVID-19 (P < 0.05).

Conclusion: This study has revealed that most emergency nurses were not willing to participate in the care of COVID-19 patients. The willingness of nurses to work throughout the pandemic can be improved by increasing the preparedness of nurses for the epidemic with adequate training and psychological support, providing social support, raising the sense of security, and applying effective communication strategies.