Investigating the Perceived Care Burden of Nurses Caring for COVID-19 Patients

Background: The widespread of COVID-19 was associated with major care challenges for the health system. The burden of care was one of the treatment challenges for these patients, and its impact on the treatment staff, especially nurses, is known as one of the important issues of the COVID-19 pandemic. Aim: The aim of this study determining the care burden perceived by nurses caring for hospitalized patients in the COVID-19 wards. Methods: This is a cross-sectional study that was conducted in 2022 by census method on 200 nurses caring for patients hospitalized in the COVID-19 wards in Imam Khomeini and Kashani Jiroft hospitals Jiroft. The data were collected with Novak and Guest';s (1989) standard care burden questionnaire and were analyzed using statistics of Kolmogorov Smirnov-Test, T-Test of two independent samples, and analysis of variance in statistical software SPSS-v-22. Results: The average age of nurses was 28.58 ± 5.4. The average burden of care in nurses was 66.6 ± 6.8, that is, in the average range. There was a positive relationship between the age of nurses and their care burden. The average burden of care was similar in both sexes. There was a significant relationship between marital status and the decrease in income with the care burden of nurses. Conclusion: Health policymakers need to continue monitoring the care burden and well-being of nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond. This will help ensure that appropriate measures are in place to support nurses and maintain a high standard of care for patients.