NURSES’ PHYSICAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL SYMPTOMS DURING THE FIRST COVID-19 LOCKDOWN IN ITALY

• Published in: Mediterranean journal of hematology and infectious diseases 2022-01, Vol.14 (1)
• Main Authors: Stefano Botti, Chiara Cannici, Sarah Liptrott, Valentina De Cecco, Elena Rostagno, Gianpaolo Gargiulo, Laura Orlando, Caime Alessandro, Emanuela Samarani, Letizia Galgano, Marco Cioce, Nicola Mordini, Nadia Mandelli, Lucia Tombari, Sara Errichiello, Nicola Celon, Roberto Lupo, Teresa Rea, Nicola Serra
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Burnout; COVID-19; Nurses; Pandemic; Sleep Disorders; Stem Cell Transplantationn
• ISSN: 2035-3006
• DOI: 10.4084/MJHID.2022.010

Background and objective: Northern Italy was one of the first European territories to deal with the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak. Drastic emergency restrictions were introduced across the country to contain the spread and limit pressure on healthcare facilities. Nurses were at high risk of developing physical, mental and working issues due to professional exposure. The aim of this cross-sectional study was to investigate these issues among nurses working in Italian hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) programmes during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: Data were collected online immediately after the first "lockdown" period in order to investigate the prevalence of physical issues, sleep disorders and burnout symptoms and explore correlations with COVID-19 territorial incidence in Northern Italian regions versus Central and Southern Italian regions. Results: Three hundred and eight nurses working in 61 Italian HSCT Units responded to the survey. Depression, cough and fever were more frequently reported by nurses working in geographical areas less affected by the pandemic (p=0.0013, p