Investigating the Psychological Effects of Caring for Patients Infected with the Coronavirus on the Occurrence of Clinical Errors among Nurses Working in COVID-19 Referral Hospitals

With the emergence of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) virus in December 2019, nurses on
the frontlines of the fight against this disease faced an immense burden. The present study was conducted to investigate the psychological effects of caring for patients with COVID-19 on the incidence of clinical errors among nurses.

This study was a case-control study conducted on 120 nurses divided into two groups: case and control. To carry out the research, we utilized the Expanded Nursing Stress Scale (ENSS), Cognitive Failures Questionnaire (CFQ), and a questionnaire to document the frequency of clinical errors over the past six months, in addition to a cognitive ergonomics test. Data analysis was performed using SPSS software.

The average age of the participants was 32.99 ± 7.23 years, and there was no significant difference between the two groups regarding the occurrence of clinical errors over the past six months (P = 0.609). The statistical analysis of the ENSS and CFQ indicated no significant differences between the two groups in any of the assessed areas (ENSS: P = 0.652, CFQ: P = 0.372). Additionally, in the initial trials of the digital stability maze test, a significant difference was observed between the two groups in terms of both time taken and the number of errors. However, after retesting, a significant difference was noted only in the duration of the test between the two groups.

Cognitive failures and errors in stability maze tests among nurses working in the inpatient ward for patients with COVID-19 were lower than those observed in other nurses. This finding may be attributed to the fact that the burden associated with certain unknown diseases diminishes over time, and increased knowledge about the disease can alleviate stress. In contrast, the burden and stress levels in other departments remain constant due to their workload. Additionally, the transfer of staff to other departments contributes to an increase in stress levels.