International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health

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Dr. Katarzyna Kwiecień-Jaguś

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Guest Editor

Department of Anesthesiology Nursing and Intensive Care, Medical University of Gdańsk, 80-211 Gdansk, Poland
Interests: intensive therapy; CPR; ergonomics and organization of work; the working environment of nursing staff; psychology of stress; occupational stress and workload

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The healthcare system is characterized by a high level of diversity in terms of services and users. Current events related to the development of the COVID-19 pandemic, increasing cases of chronic diseases including “long COVID”, the ageing of society and the lack of medical specialists worldwide have caused an increasing number of challenges for the healthcare system globally. The term "moral distress" is not new. This phenomenon affects medical personnel and can be described as a lack of confidence or external barriers such as legal constrains. It has been proven that prolonged moral distress has many negative effects, including emotional and psychological symptoms. Anxiety and depression can also result from prolonged moral distress. These negative effects are dangerous not only for medical professionals but also for those they care for—patients. The causes of moral discomfort are related to patient-level, team/unit-level and organizational-level factors in a medical setting.

This Special Issue invites articles regarding all topics focused on the problem of stress and moral discomfort among all members of a multidisciplinary team. This Special Issue of the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health focuses on the current knowledge in the field of stress and moral concerns among medical professionals in different medical settings. We are interested in original research and systematic reviews.

Dr. Katarzyna Kwiecień-Jaguś
Guest Editor

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Keywords

moral concerns
health professionals
hospital setting
community setting
burnout syndrome
occupational stress

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

11 pages, 275 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Using Concepts of Photovoice to Engage in Discussions Related to Burnout and Wellbeing

by Gretchen Macy, Whitney Harper, April Murphy, Kim Link, Austin Griffiths, Shwe Win and Ashley East

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2024, 21(2), 192; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph21020192 - 7 Feb 2024

Viewed by 1113

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to identify essential skills and abilities for mitigating job-related stressors and preventing burnout while also establishing connections between students and community health workers to provide students with a deeper comprehension of the challenges inherent to their future professions. Ten community health workers were interviewed and asked to present photographs that explored sources of burnout and promotions of well-being. The photographs along with quotes were displayed in a gallery style exhibit for students to view and talk with the community health workers and complete a survey. Using thematic analysis, the interviews resulted in four common factors that contribute to burnout: (1) workload demands, (2) unrealistic exceptions, (3) amount of time dedicated to care, and (4) lack of work–life balance. The themes that emerged from student responses were (1) learning self-care practices, (2) gaining insight into the need for self-care, (3) a sense of connection, and (4) exposure to different healthcare careers. This study demonstrates the importance of connecting students with community health workers. It increases understanding of the demands of their future professions as well as resources and engagement opportunities available to them as a part of their respective professional community. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Stress and Moral Concerns in Health Care Systems: A Public Health Issue)

12 pages, 2082 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Life Satisfaction of Nurses during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Poland

by Anna Stefanowicz-Bielska, Magdalena Słomion and Małgorzata Rąpała

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(24), 16789; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph192416789 - 14 Dec 2022

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1711

Abstract

Background: Health care practitioners are at highest risk of COVID-19 disease. They experience an enormous overload of work and time pressures. The objective of the study was to assess nurses’ life satisfaction. Method: The study included professionally active nurses. The research method was an author’s questionnaire and a standardized questionnaire, the Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS). Results: The study group included 361 working nurses. The mean raw score and the sten score of the nurses’ responses to the statements on the SWLS questionnaire were 21.0 (SD ± 5.6, range = 5–35) and 5.73 (SD ± 1.94, range = 1–10), respectively. It was shown that lower life satisfaction was experienced by nurses aged 51 to 60 (raw score: p = 0.003, sten score: p = 0.005), as well as nurses with secondary and undergraduate nursing education (raw score: p = 0.061, sten score: p = 0.043). Nurses who had a higher self-evaluation of the level of knowledge about SARS-CoV-2 infection experienced greater life satisfaction (raw score: p = 0.008, sten score: p = 0.022). Conclusions: The majority of Polish nurses surveyed during the COVID-19 pandemic had a low or medium level of life satisfaction. The low response rate to the survey was most likely due to work overloads during the pandemic. Working in a public service profession, a nurse is exposed to stressful conditions related to protecting human health. Constant difficult and stressful situations and total fatigue experienced by nursing professionals can be the cause of a lack of motivation, occupational burnout, listlessness and mental and physical disease. Further research is necessary to assess the factors positively influencing the level of life satisfaction. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Stress and Moral Concerns in Health Care Systems: A Public Health Issue)

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