Psychological Fear of Infectious Diseases among Nurses in Emergency Unit

Abstract

Background:Fear of infection among nurses is a growing problem in the medical field, and it is one of the psychological and social consequences that may lead to a series of negative results

Objectives: This study aims to assess nurses' fears about the risk of infection in the emergency department.

Methods:A descriptive design with a simple random sample of 125 nurses in the Al-Hamza General Hospital emergency department, Al-Diwaniya, Iraq, from Nov 27, 2022, to Apr 10, 2023.Through nurses' self-reporting, a two-part questionnaire was used to collect socio-demographic data, fear of illness, and virus Evaluation (FIVE). "SPSS version 26.0" was utilized for data interpretation. Data were evaluated using descriptive and inferential statistical approaches.

Results: The results reveal that 50.4% of nurses experience moderate fears, fear of contamination and behaviors related to illness and virus fears were high among nurses. In comparison, fears of social distancing and the impact of illness and viruses were moderate.

Conclusions: The overall assessment of fears of infection was moderate among nurses working in the emergency department.

Recommendations: The study recommended providing psychological support to develop emotional resilience through training programs to improve the strategies and skills coping of nurses to reduce their fear of infection.