Challenges and opportunities for nurses during COVID-19 pandemic

Authors

  • Ambika Thapa Pachya Department of Community Health Sciences, School of Medicine, Patan Academy of Health Sciences, Lalitpur, Nepal; School of Public Health, Patan Academy of Health Sciences, Lalitpur, Nepal
  • Uttam Pachya Department of General Practice, School of Medicine, Patan Academy of Health Sciences, Lalitpur, Nepal; Gulmi District Hospital, Gulmi, Nepal
  • Namuna Thapa University of California San Francisco School of Nursing, San Francisco, California, USA
  • Rojina Tandukar School of Public Health and Community Medicine, B.P. Koirala Institute of Health Sciences, Sunsari, Nepal
  • Jyotsna Singh Shrestha University of Wollongong, Northfields Ave Wollongong, NSW 2522, Australia
  • Jeevan Thapa Department of Community Health Sciences, School of Medicine, Patan Academy of Health Sciences, Lalitpur, Nepal; School of Public Health, Patan Academy of Health Sciences, Lalitpur, Nepal
  • Bandana Neupane Nepal Health Sector Support Program, DFID/Ministry of Health and Population, Kathmandu, Nepal
  • Madhusudan Subedi Department of Community Health Sciences, School of Medicine, Patan Academy of Health Sciences, Lalitpur, Nepal; School of Public Health, Patan Academy of Health Sciences, Lalitpur, Nepal

Keywords:

Challenges of Nurses, COVID-19 Pandemic, Nurses, Opportunities of Nurses

Abstract

Background: Pandemic of COVID-19 coincided with the year of Nurses and Midwives 2020. In war against invisible that has been ongoing during this pandemic, nurses play crucial role. As of June 2020, more than 600 nurses have lost their lives due to COVID-19. Nursing practice takes patients’ safety at paramount through continuum of testing, quarantine and isolation. Thus, there is need to review challenges that pandemic has posed as well as the avenues of opportunities that it has opened for nurses.

Method: Review of existing literature on nurses, their challenges and opportunities during COVID-19 was done using electronic database. Freely accessible literatures in English language that clearly mentioned on challenges and opportunities of nurses during COVID-19 were included in the study.

Result: One of thechallenges that nurses face during COVID-19 is workforce shortage. With increasing number of people infected with COVID-19, it outstretches the existing nursing health workforce, and disproportionately in the low and middle incomes countries. They are at risk of infection and have high job demand. The incidents of suicide among nurses are representation of physical distress and psychological trauma. Role of nurses in patients care during COVID-19 can be under-rated and stigmatized. Internationally trained nurses and minorities nurses are at increased risk of discrimination. Despite these challenges, COVID-19 puts forward opportunities for nurses on implementing humanistic theory in practice, self-esteem and sharing of real time stories, contingency management and creativity. It opens platform for leading infection prevention measures and advocacy of profession.

Conclusion: Being the pertinent stakeholders in patient care, nurses’ faces different challenges as well as some opportunities. COVID-19 has opened avenues for advocacy of nursing profession to get acknowledged for their dedication, perseverance, high morale and contribution during the pandemic management.

Author Biographies

Ambika Thapa Pachya, Department of Community Health Sciences, School of Medicine, Patan Academy of Health Sciences, Lalitpur, Nepal; School of Public Health, Patan Academy of Health Sciences, Lalitpur, Nepal

Lecturer, Department of Community Health Sciences, School of Medicine, Patan Academy of Health Sciences, Lalitpur, Nepal

Lecturer, School of Public Health, Patan Academy of Health Sciences, Lalitpur, Nepal

Uttam Pachya, Department of General Practice, School of Medicine, Patan Academy of Health Sciences, Lalitpur, Nepal; Gulmi District Hospital, Gulmi, Nepal

Lecturer, Department of General Practice, School of Medicine, Patan Academy of Health Sciences, Lalitpur, Nepal

Medical Superintendent, Gulmi District Hospital, Gulmi, Nepal

Namuna Thapa, University of California San Francisco School of Nursing, San Francisco, California, USA

RN, University of California San Francisco School of Nursing, San Francisco, California, USA

Rojina Tandukar, School of Public Health and Community Medicine, B.P. Koirala Institute of Health Sciences, Sunsari, Nepal

MPH Candidate, School of Public Health and Community Medicine, B.P. Koirala Institute of Health Sciences, Sunsari, Nepal

Jyotsna Singh Shrestha, University of Wollongong, Northfields Ave Wollongong, NSW 2522, Australia

RN, MN, University of Wollongong, Northfields Ave Wollongong, NSW 2522, Australia

Jeevan Thapa, Department of Community Health Sciences, School of Medicine, Patan Academy of Health Sciences, Lalitpur, Nepal; School of Public Health, Patan Academy of Health Sciences, Lalitpur, Nepal

Lecturer, Department of Community Health Sciences, School of Medicine, Patan Academy of Health Sciences, Lalitpur, Nepal

Lecturer, School of Public Health, Patan Academy of Health Sciences, Lalitpur, Nepal

Bandana Neupane, Nepal Health Sector Support Program, DFID/Ministry of Health and Population, Kathmandu, Nepal

Nepal Health Sector Support Program, DFID/Ministry of Health and Population, Kathmandu, Nepal

Madhusudan Subedi, Department of Community Health Sciences, School of Medicine, Patan Academy of Health Sciences, Lalitpur, Nepal; School of Public Health, Patan Academy of Health Sciences, Lalitpur, Nepal

Professor, Department Chair, Department of Community Health Sciences, School of Medicine, Patan Academy of Health Sciences, Lalitpur, Nepal

Professor, School of Public Health, Patan Academy of Health Sciences, Lalitpur, Nepal

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Published

2020-11-21

How to Cite

1.
Thapa Pachya A, Pachya U, Thapa N, Tandukar R, Singh Shrestha J, Thapa J, Neupane B, Subedi M. Challenges and opportunities for nurses during COVID-19 pandemic. Journal of Karnali Academy of Health Sciences [Internet]. 2020Nov.21 [cited 2024Apr.28];3. Available from: https://www.jkahs.org.np/jkahs/index.php/jkahs/article/view/280

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Section

Review Articles