PSYCHO-EMOTIONAL STATE OF NURSES AFTER USING PERSONAL PROTECTION EQUIPMENT DURING COVID-19 PATIENT CARE

Abstract

Introduction. Nurses, like other medical personnel, actively use personal protective equipment (PPE) during the performance of their professional duties. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the use of PPE was particularly important and widespread. However, long-term use of these agents can negatively affect both the physical and mental health of medical personnel. Nurses experience significant stress, fatigue, anxiety and other psychological difficulties while performing their professional duties. Assessment of their psycho-emotional state is important not only to preserve their own well-being, but also to ensure the effectiveness of medical care.

The aim of the study – to assess the psycho-emotional state of nurses after using PPE during the performance of their professional duties while caring for patients with COVID-19 and other acute respiratory diseases.

The main part. Determining the physical and psychological conditions of nurses during the performance of their professional duties during the COVID 19 pandemic and determining the level of residual stress, as nurses are the most vulnerable category in terms of infection with the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus and the development of COVID-19. To study the level of psychological stress, surveys and questionnaires were used, such as PSS-10 (The Perceived Stress Scale-10 is a valid and widely used questionnaire for determining the level of subjective stress), the method «Burnout syndrome in professions of the “person – person” system K. Maslach, S. Jackson, in the adaptation of N. E. Vodopyanova, the method “Research of the “burnout” syndrome by J. Greenberg.

Conclusions. Medical workers’ continuous use of personal protection equipment compromises their physical condition and leads to the development of biological stress. Increased demands and duties, unpredictable working hours, fear of infecting loved ones, and disbelief in protective measures all contribute to psychological stress. The combination of biological and psychological stress can have major consequences for healthcare personnel, particularly in pandemic or high-risk scenarios, where they encounter physical stress, anxiety for their own health, and insufficient resources. Such settings can induce severe stress and psychological weariness in health care workers, necessitating systemic interventions to maintain their physical and mental wellbeing.