The Impact of COVID-19 from the Perspectives of Dutch District Nurses: A Mixed-Methods Study

Jessica D. Veldhuizen, Sandra Zwakhalen, Bianca M. Buurman and Nienke Bleijenberg
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Jessica D. Veldhuizen: Research Centre for Healthy and Sustainable Living, Faculty of Health Care, University of Applied Sciences Utrecht, 3584 CS Utrecht, The Netherlands
Sandra Zwakhalen: Department of Health Services Research, CAPRI Care and Public Health Research Institute, Maastricht University, Duboisdomein 30, 6229 GT Maastricht, The Netherlands
Bianca M. Buurman: Department of Internal Medicine, Section of Geriatric Medicine, Amsterdam University Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, 1000 GG Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Nienke Bleijenberg: Research Centre for Healthy and Sustainable Living, Faculty of Health Care, University of Applied Sciences Utrecht, 3584 CS Utrecht, The Netherlands

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 24, 1-16

Abstract: Little is known about how COVID-19 affects older patients living at home or how it affects district nursing teams providing care to these patients. This study aims to (1) explore, from the perspectives of Dutch district nurses, COVID-19′s impact on patients receiving district nursing care, district nursing teams, and their organisations during the first outbreak in March 2020 as well as one year later; and (2) identify the needs of district nurses regarding future outbreaks. A mixed-methods, two-phase, sequential exploratory design was followed. In total, 36 district nurses were interviewed during the first outbreak (March 2020), of which 18 participated in the follow-up questionnaire in April 2021. Thirteen themes emerged, which showed that the COVID pandemic has substantially impacted patient care and district nursing teams. During the first outbreak, nurses played a crucial role in organising care differently and worked under high pressure, leading to exhaustion, tiredness, and psychosocial problems, including fear of infection. A year later, nurses were better prepared to provide COVID care, but problems regarding work pressure and mental complaints remained. The identified needs focus on a sustainable implementation of leadership roles for district nurses. At the organisational and national levels, more support and appreciation are needed in terms of trust and appropriate policies.

Keywords: COVID-19; community health nursing; district nursing; home care; geriatric care; nursing research (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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