Czech doctors' views on the prestige and workload of nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic

Introduction: To assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on nurses, we asked doctors how the pandemic affected the prestige of the nursing profession, what impact it had on nurses in their workplace, and how nurses are prepared for a possible future pandemic. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional survey was conducted using a non-standardized questionnaire with 1,203 physicians. The sample of physicians in the Czech Republic was representative regarding gender, age, and region. Results: According to doctors, the prestige of the nursing profession increased significantly during the pandemic from 6.65 +/- 1.99 SD to 8.08 +/- 1.78 SD on a ten-point scale. An overall increased burden on nurses was reported by 89.1% of doctors, with an adverse effect on social (71.8%), personal (65.9%), and family life (66.2%), but also on the physical (60.8%) and mental (68.6%) health of nurses. Nurses leaving the workplace were reported by 21.4% of doctors. According to the doctors, in the event of a future pandemic, nurses will be a support for the patients (96.1%), the patients's families (95.1%), and their own families (91.4%). Nurses will be able to acquire new competencies (89.6%) and cope with increased physical (92.2%) and emotional (89.7%) demands. Doctors, however, believe that nurses are less prepared to participate in the reprofiling of the operation of a healthcare facility (84.9%), create new teams (82.2%), train new colleagues (88.4%), and take care of their own physical (84.8%) and mental (83.5%) health. Conclusion: The increased prestige of the nursing profession during the pandemic contrasts with the negative impacts on nurses' health and quality of life. Some of the riskiest areas in preparing for a future pandemic include nurses' self-care - both mental and physical - and their support for fellow nurses, such as forming new teams, adapting workplaces, and training new colleagues.