Psychosocial Aspects of Dealing with the COVID-19 Pandemic: Reflections on the Experiences and Implications for Nursing Personnel

The COVID-19 pandemic has been one of the most challenging public health issues that has affected health systems in the twenty-first century. This public health issue has had serious health, social, and economic implications, which had serious implications for professional practice. While the government implemented a series of initiatives, one of the most significant that affected health-care professionals, especially nurses, was the establishment of the parallel health-care system. Such an initiative resulted in the development of a clinical pathway for persons who were suspected or infected with COVID-19 to be screened and treated in facilities outside of the established health system. While health-care professionals have been affected in general, nurses working on the frontlines as the largest group of health professionals have been more affected. This was as a result of having to confront a number of issues including the infodemic, stigma, and discrimination as well as the psychosocial challenges associated with the nature of the disease itself. These included having to care for patients who were separated from relatives, the increased incidence of mortality (multiple times on one shift), prioritizing care based on assessments, and limited resources. This was exacerbated by the cognitive dissonance associated with their professional roles to care for those needing services and their personal responsibility to themselves and families, especially in situations where dependents included children, as well as relatives with chronic non-communicable diseases (CNCDs).