Influence of caring for COVID-19 patients on nurse's turnover, work satisfaction and quality of care

Aim: This study aims to examine, through the lens of the Job Demands-Resources model, the influence of caring for COVID-19 patients on nurse's perception of chronic fatigue, quality of care, satisfaction at work and intention to leave their organisation and the profession.

Background: Studies have examined how fear of COVID-19 contributes to the mental, physical and work adjustment among nurses. To date, few studies have been conducted examining how caring for patients with COVID-19 contributes to work outcomes among nurses.

Methods: This is a cross-sectional survey involving 1705 frontline nurses and licensed practical nurses in Quebec, Canada. From these, 782 reported caring for COVID-19 patients.

Results: High chronic fatigue, poor quality of care, lower work satisfaction and higher intention to leave their organisation were found for nurses caring for COVID-19 patients. Poorly prepared and overwhelmed nurses showed higher turnover intention than those well prepared and in control.

Conclusions: There is an urgent need to provide support to nurses during the pandemic, with a long-term strategy to increase their retention.

Implications for nursing management: Nurse administrators play an important role in supporting their nurses during a pandemic in the form of education, training and policy development to positively impact quality of care and retention.