Evaluation of the Job Stress Level among Frontline Nurses Caring for Patients with COVID-19: A Cross Sectional Study

Nursing care activities in the times of infectious epidemics can cause double stress for nurses. The aim of this study was to evaluate the level of job stress of nurses caring for COVID-19 patients based on evidence from a large hospital.

This was a cross-sectional study in Mashhad city, Iran. The sample consisted of 323 nurses caring for 19 patients in Imam Reza (AS) Hospital in 2020 who were selected through random quota sampling. Data collection tools were demographic information checklist and NSS Nursing Stress Questionnaire.

The overall level of stress was moderate (62.44 out of 102). Overall stress in specialized wards and in nurses with a history of activity in infectious wards were 8% and 1% less than others, respectively. Nurses' job stress in terms of interpersonal relationships and the performance of supervisors in normal wards was higher than special wards (P value=0.020).

Based on the findings of this study, it is possible to reduce the level of stress by training nurses and simulating the ICU environment to prepare for emergencies and epidemics, as well as encouraging them to rotate work between the ICU and inpatient wards during service.