COVID-19 and Its Protocols, a Stressor to Healthcare and Healthcare Delivery: Perception of Nurses in Rivers State

Abstract

This study was aimed at determining the extent to which COVID-19 causes stress to healthcare delivery in Rivers State, determining the perception of nurses on COVID-19 as stressor to healthcare delivery in Rivers State and finding out the factors that influence the perception of nurses regarding stressors to healthcare delivery in Rivers state. For this study, the survey research design was adopted. The choice of the design was informed by the objectives of the study as outlined in chapter one. This research design provides a quickly efficient and accurate means of assessing information about a population of interest. The population for this study were nurses in Rivers State Hospitals, University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital and Rivers State University Teaching Hospital, Rivers State, Nigeria. A total of 134 respondents were selected from the population figure out of which the sample size was determined. Majority male and female Nurses practiced the personal stress management practices such as: relaxing, listening to music or watching movies, physical exercise, applying humor in relationship, ecclesiastical therapy and receiving/visiting a clergy tough in varying proportion with only a few adopting negative practices such as drinking alcohol and drinking coffee. The study concludes on COVID-19 as being one of the major sources of stress to health care delivery as it increases fear among patients of other ailments. Nurses were also found to believe that COVID-19 is a main stressor to healthcare in Rivers State.