In December 2022, a large population infected with COVID-19 emerged in China, including frontline nurses. To maintain the medical system's function, many infected nurses returned to work before full recovery. This study aims to examine the characteristics of work resumption behaviour among the infected nurses and its influencing factors.
A nationwide cross-sectional study utilising questionnaire data.
An indicator was developed to assess the work resumption behaviour: work resumption type (autonomous work resumption, constrained work resumption). As the possible influencing factors of work resumption type, professional commitment, organisational commitment and psychological capital were included and measured by the Professional Commitment Scale (PCS), Organizational Commitment Questionnaire (OCQ), and Psychological Capital Questionnaire (PCQ). The logistic regression models were applied to estimate the association between the score of the PCS, OCQ, PCQ, and work resumption type.
A total of 30,062 nurses were included. The mean time of nurses returning to work after infection was 1.8 days, with 88.6% exhibiting autonomous work resumption behaviour. One standard deviation increment in the score of the PCS, OCQ, and PCQ was associated with a 41% (OR = 1.41), 29% (OR = 1.29) and 42% (OR = 1.42) average increase in the odds of having an autonomous work resumption, respectively.
The majority of nurses returned to work before full recovery during the pandemic. Elevated professional commitment, organisational commitment and psychological capital were associated with autonomous work resumption behaviour.
The large-scale work resumption in this emerging infectious disease outbreak demonstrated that the healthcare system should reevaluate nursing workforce growth targets for pandemics. It is still warranted for future research to explore the long-term effects of work resumption on individual and organisational levels.
Chinese clinical trial registry: ChiCTR2300067706 (January 8, 2023)
Examine the relationships between workplace trust, interpersonal trust, and nurses' physical and mental health, and specifically investigate the mediating role of resilience.
Nurses are central to healthcare delivery but frequently experience workplace violence, adversely affecting their well-being. Trust represents a higher-order mechanism that fosters positive attitudes and professional growth, potentially safeguarding nurses' resilience in coping with adversity. However, research elucidating how trust influences nurses' health via resilience remains limited.
A cross-sectional study was conducted using convenience sampling. A total of 2855 clinical nurses from general hospitals in Fujian Province, China, were surveyed between August and October 2022. Workplace trust and interpersonal trust were served as independent variables, Physical Component Summary and Mental Component Summary scores as dependent variables, and resilience as a mediator. Mediation analysis was performed using Mplus 8.3. The study was prepared and reported according to the STROBE checklist.
Mean scores were Physical Component Summary: 51.12 ± 8.90, and Mental Component Summary: 48.20 ± 10.18. Workplace trust had significant direct effects on both Physical Component Summary and Mental Component Summary. Interpersonal trust had no significant direct effects on Physical Component Summary or Mental Component Summary. Resilience demonstrated significant mediating effects: for workplace trust on Physical Component Summary and on Mental Component Summary; and for interpersonal trust on Physical Component Summary and on Mental Component Summary.
Workplace trust directly enhances nurses' physical and mental health. While interpersonal trust lacks a direct link to health outcomes, both workplace and interpersonal trust significantly improve nurses' health indirectly by bolstering resilience. Resilience serves as a critical pathway through which trust fosters well-being.
No patient or public contribution.
Nurse managers and healthcare administrators should prioritise interventions to cultivate workplace trust (e.g., fostering trust among colleagues, and between nurses and the organisation/management) and strengthen interpersonal trust and psychological resilience. Enhancing these protective factors will better equip nurses to manage occupational and personal stressors, ultimately safeguarding and improving their physical and mental health.