Examination of Fatigue Situations of Nurses in the Prolonged COVID-19 Infection

Öz

Objective: This study was conducted to determine the effect of prolonged Covid-19 pandemic on the fatigue status of nurses. Methods: The effect of prolonged Covid-19 on the fatigue status of nurses was evaluated, and 185 nurses who had Covid-19 were included in this descriptive study. The data were collected using the "Patient Information Form" and "Chalder Fatigue Scale" in the electronic environment during the working hours of the nurses who had Covid-19 and at times that would not disrupt their workflow order. Results: It was determined that 62.6% of the nurses who were tired were female, 61.6% were tired, and the level of physical fatigue was higher than mental fatigue. The most common symptom among nurses during the acute and prolonged Covid-19 period was fatigue. There was a statistically significant difference between fatigue and headache(p<0.05). Conclusion: As a result of the study, it was determined that the majority of the nurses experienced fatigue after the Covid-19 pandemic, the severity of physical fatigue was higher than the severity of mental fatigue, and headache affected the level of fatigue. In line with these results, considering the negative impact of fatigue on quality of life and daily functionality, it is recommended to conduct periodic physical and mental health screenings for nurses and to provide training on methods such as effective exercise and stress management to help nurses cope with fatigue and regain optimal health.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Prolonged Covid 19
• fatigue
• nurse

Kaynakça

1. World Health Organization- WHO. https://www.who.int/health-topics/coronavirus#tab=tab_1 , 2020.
2. Sagherian K, Steege LM, Cobb SJ, & Cho H. Insomnia, fatigue and psychosocial well-being during COVID-19 pandemic: A cross-sectional survey of hospital nursing staff in the United States. J Clin Nurs. 2020; doi:10.1111/jocn.15566.
3. Geiger-Brown J, Rogers VE, Trinkoff AM. et. al. Sleep, sleepiness, fatigue, and performance of 12-hour-shift nurses. Chronobiol Int. 2012; 29(2): 211–219. doi:10.3109/07420528.2011.645752.
4. Lagadinou M, Kostopoulou E, Karatza A, Marangos M, & Gkentzi D. The prolonged effects of COVID-19. A new "threat"?. Eur Rev Medical Pharmacol Sci. 2021; 25(13): 4611–4615. doi:10.26355/eurrev_202107_26253.
5. Huang Y, Pinto MD, Borelli JL, et. al. COVID Symptoms, Symptom Clusters, and Predictors for Becoming a Long-Hauler: Looking for Clarity in the Haze of the Pandemic. medRxiv 2021; 2021.03.03.21252086. doi:10.1101/2021.03.03.21252086.
6. Lopez-Leon S, Wegman-Ostrosky T, Perelman C. et. al. More than 50 long-term effects of COVID-19: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Sci Rep. 2021; 11(1): 16144. doi:10.1038/s41598-021-95565-8.
7. Zhan YX, Zhao SY, Yuan J. et. al. Prevalence and Influencing Factors on Fatigue of First-line Nurses Combating with COVID-19 in China: A Descriptive Cross-Sectional Study. Curr Med Sci. 2020; 40(4): 625–635. doi:10.1007/s11596-020-2226-9.
8. Akıncı T, & Başar HM. Assessment of Sleep Quality in Healthcare Workers as Part of the COVID-19 Outbreak. Turkish Journal of Neurology. 2021; 27(2):176-186. doi:10.4274/tnd.2021.04820.

9. Özelçi, F. Investigation of changes in respiratory function, depression and quality of life in patients diagnosed with Covid-19. Istinye University Institute of Health Sciences, Master Thesis, Istanbul. 2021. (cited 2022 May 16). Available from: https://acikerisim.istinye.edu.tr/xmlui/bitstream/handle/20.500.12713/1905/1.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y.
10. Carfi A, Bernabei R, Landi F, & Gemelli Against COVID-19 Post-Acute Care Study Group. Persistent Symptoms in Patients After Acute COVID-19. JAMA. 2020; 324(6): 603–605. doi:10.1001/jama.2020.12603.
11. Garrigues E, Janvier P, Kherabi Y. et. al. Post-discharge persistent symptoms and health-related quality of life after hospitalization for COVID-19. J Infect. 2020; 81(6): e4–e6. doi:10.1016/j.jinf.2020.08.029.
12. Townsend L, Dyer AH, Jones K, et. al. Persistent fatigue following SARS-CoV-2 infection is common and independent of severity of initial infection. Plos one. 2020; 15(11): e0240784. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0240784.
13. Zou, S., Liu, Z. H., Yan, X. et. al. Prevalence and correlates of fatigue and its association with quality of life among clinically stable older psychiatric patients during the COVID-19 outbreak: a cross-sectional study. Global Health. 2020; 16(1): 1-7. doi:10.1186/s12992-020-00644-6.
14. Stavem K, Ghanima W, Olsen MK, Gilboe HM, & Einvik G. Persistent symptoms 1.5-6 months after COVID-19 in non-hospitalised subjects: a population-based cohort study. Thorax. 2021; 76(4): 405–407. doi:10.1136/thoraxjnl-2020-216377.
15. Stringer EA, Baker KS., Carroll IR. et. al. Daily cytokine fluctuations, driven by leptin, are associated with fatigue severity in chronic fatigue syndrome: evidence of inflammatory pathology. J Transl Med. 2013; 11: 93. doi:10.1186/1479-5876-11-93.
16. Özhanli Y, Karaman A, Akyüz N. Factors Affecting Surgical Fatigue. Int J Caring Sci. 2019; 12:1926-1930.
17. Chalder T, Berelowitz G, Pawlikowska T. et. al. Development of a fatigue scale. J Psychosom Res. 1993; 37(2): 147–153. doi:10.1016/0022-3999(93)90081-p.
18. Adın RM. Adaptation of the Chalder Fatigue Scale to Turkish and Investigation of its Psychometric Properties in Young Adults. Health Sciences Institute.2019. http://hdl.handle.net/11655/8745.
19. https://www.wma.net/policies-post/wma-declaration-of-helsinki-ethical-principles-for-medical-research-involving-human-subjects/ (Date of access: 04.05.2023).
20. Liu S, Xi HT, Zhu QQ. et. al. The prevalence of fatigue among Chinese nursing students in post-COVID-19 era. PeerJ. 2021; 9: e11154. doi:10.7717/peerj.11154.
21. El Sayed S, Shokry D, & Gomaa SM. Post-COVID-19 fatigue and anhedonia: A cross-sectional study and their correlation to post-recovery period. Neuropsychopharmacol Rep. 2021; 41(1): 50–55. doi:10.1002/npr2.12154.
22. Del Rio C, & Malani PN. COVID-19-New Insights on a Rapidly Changing Epidemic. JAMA. 2020; 323(14): 1339–1340. doi:10.1001/jama.2020.3072.
23. Teng Z, Wei Z, Qiu Y. et.al. Psychological status and fatigue of frontline staff two months after the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak in China: A cross-sectional study. J Affect Disord. 2020; 275: 247–252. doi:10.1016/j.jad.2020.06.032.
24. De Venter M, Illegems J, Van Royen R. Differential effects of childhood trauma subtypes on fatigue and physical functioning in chronic fatigue syndrome. Compr Psychiatry. 2017; 78: 76–82. doi:10.1016/j.comppsych.2017.07.006.
25. Fridberg F, Adamowicz JL, Caikauskaite I. et. al. Fatigue severity in World Trade Center (9/11) responders: a preliminary study. Fatigue. 2016;4(2): 70-79. doi:10.1080/21641846.2016.1169726.
26. Ceban F, Ling S, Lui L. et. al. Fatigue and cognitive impairment in Post-COVID-19 Syndrome: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Brain Behav Immun Health. 2022; 101: 93–135. doi:10.1016/j.bbi.2021.12.020.
27. Erbay A. Prolonged Covid: A New Definition Long Covid: A New Definition. Bozok Medical Journal, 1. 2020; (4): 111-114.
28. King's College London. New research identifies those most at risk from 'long COVID. October 21 2020. https://www.kcl.ac.uk/news/study-identifies-those-most-risk-long-COVID.
29. Tenforde MW, Kim SS, Lindsell CJ. et. al. IVY Network Investigators. Symptom Duration and Risk Factors for Delayed Return to Usual Health Among Outpatients with COVID-19 in a Multistate Health Care Systems Network - United States, March-June 2020. MMWR. 2020; 69(30): 993–998. doi:10.15585/mmwr.mm6930e1.
30. Petersen MS, Kristiansen MF, Hanusson KD. et. al. Long COVID in the Faroe Islands: A Longitudinal Study Among Nonhospitalized Patients. Clin Infect Dis 2021; 73(11): e4058–e4063. doi:10.1093/cid/ciaa1792.