Abstract:

Aim: This study aimed to determine the views and difficulties experienced by nurses about working with patients diagnosed with COVID-19 during the pandemic process. Method: This descriptive and cross-sectional study was conducted with 188 nurses who agreed to participate between 05 March and 10 June 2022. The data were collected using to “Sociodemographic Characteristics and Occupational Factors Data Form”. Collected data were evaluated via frequency, percentages, mean standard deviation, and chi-square test. Results: It was stated that 81.9% of the nurses were female, 69.1% were associate/undergraduate graduates. 88.3% of the nurses stated that their family and social life order changed during the pandemic process and they mostly had to restrict their social life (67.6%). 60.1% of the nurses increased the number of patients, 55.3% their working hours and 89.9% their workload during the pandemic process. 28.7% of the nurses were exposed to verbal violence by the patient/relatives. It was determined that 47.9% of the nurses worked in the units where COVID-19 patients were treated, 57.8% voluntarily and 79.3% without orientation training. 57.4% of the nurses stated that they would work more willingly in COVID-positive patients if they worked 20 hours a week instead of 40, and 54.8% of them were paid more. 66% of the nurses think that they are trying in vain as health personnel when they see people who do not wear masks and do not follow social distance rules during the pandemic process. It was determined that nurses working with COVID positive patients were exposed to verbal violence at a higher rate by the patient/ relatives (p<0.05). Conclusion and Recommendations: In this study, it was determined that nurses were negatively affected psychosocially during the pandemic process. Based on the difficulties experienced by nurses during the pandemic process, it is recommended to plan health policies to improve the negative working conditions of health workers.

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