Analysis of the risks of fatigue arising from the COVID-19 pandemic among brazilian nurses in the years 2020 and 2022

• Grant number: 22/03368-8
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral
• Effective date (Start): April 01, 2022
• Effective date (End): March 31, 2024
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Nursing - Public Health Nursing
• Principal Investigator: Elucir Gir
• Grantee: Laelson Rochelle Milanês Sousa
• Host Institution: Escola de Enfermagem de Ribeirão Preto (EERP). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Ribeirão Preto , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 21/07501-1 - Analysis of the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic for nurses in Brazil, AP.R

Abstract

The project's general objective is to analyze the risks of fatigue arising from the COVID-19 pandemic among Brazilian nurses in the years 2020 and 2022 and specific objectives: to characterize the study population regarding vaccination coverage and post-vaccination infection; to estimate the risk of fatigue resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic among Brazilian nurses; to analyze the factors related to the risk of fatigue among Brazilian nurses; and to understand the meanings of the risks of fatigue and their consequences to Brazilian nurses. The study is linked to the project "Analysis of the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic for nurses in Brazil" with funding approved by FAPESP, and follows the development of phase II of the project entitled: "Effects and consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic to professionals of Brazilian health", funded by CNPq, whose data collection took place in the second semester of 2020. It will be developed through a mixed-method with nurses from all Brazilian capitals with an estimated sample of 5331 nurses. It will be developed in two stages: the first stage (quantitative) and the second stage (qualitative). For the quantitative phase, data collection will be carried out in the second semester of 2022 and will include the inclusion criteria: age equal to or greater than 18 years old; have access to the internet; complete the questionnaire, act as a nurse in providing care to patients in different health services in Brazil. Exclusion criterion: having been away from work for longer than six months since the beginning of the pandemic in Brazil. The sample selection will be through a drawing of professionals from a sampling plan stratified by geographic stratum, in which the 27 units of the federation will define the strata. Data collection will be carried out through social media (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Whatsapp, and email). The online questionnaire will be built on the SurveyMonkey platform. Individual data will be collected regarding sociodemographic characterization, aspects related to the history of diagnosis of COVID-19, vaccination, clinical conditions such as the presence of chronic diseases, and other risk factors for COVID-19. As for data on fatigue, the Dutch Fatigue Scale (DUFS) will be applied, developed according to the NANDA-I definition of fatigue with patients with heart failure, translated and validated into Brazilian Portuguese. The adapted versions of the DUFS contain eight items arranged on a 5-point Likert scale. The scores on the items are added to give a total score. They will be analyzed using descriptive statistics, with tests such as chi-square and/or Fisher's Exact Test, and logistic regression analysis. These analyses will provide evidence related to the existence of associations between sociodemographic and clinical variables, the diagnosis of COVID-19 and risk of fatigue, and calculating risk scores based on odds ratios (Odds ratio). A confidence level of 95% will be considered. An explanatory model will also be built to estimate fatigue risk resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic for Brazilian nurses through the structural equation modeling technique. In the qualitative stage, nurses will be selected through an item on the form in which the professional will declare interest in participating in the second phase of the study. The interviews will be individual, in online rooms reserved to guarantee the participant's privacy. The number of interviews will be defined by criteria of theoretical saturation, as the data do not produce new and/or relevant information for the analysis. A semi-structured interview script will be used with both subjective and more specific theme questions. The interviews will take place via google meet, recorded and processed by the N-VIVO software, and submitted to content analysis. (AU)