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Aim: Reflect upon the visibility of nursing‐led research during the COVID‐19 pandemic. Background: The emerging SARS‐CoV‐2 infection has galvanized collaborative and multidisciplinary efforts in clinical and research practice worldwide. The scarce evidence‐base to manage patients with COVID‐19 has included limited nurse‐led research. Introduction: Clinical research nurses have greatly contributed to the delivery of COVID‐19 research, yet the number of COVID‐19 nursing‐led research papers appears to be limited, with even fewer nurse‐led research projects funded. Methods: Authors' views and PubMed search on 'COVID‐19 and nursing'. Findings: There is a dearth of nursing‐led research. Most papers describe the nursing contribution to COVID‐19 care, changes in nursing working arrangements and emotional burden. There are opportunities to explore the consequences to vulnerable population groups of public health measures implemented to stop the progress of the COVID‐19 pandemic. Discussion: Workforce gaps, limited integration in research structures and clinical redeployment may have hampered nurse‐led research. COVID‐19 may exacerbate staffing deficits by disrupting the education pipeline, obstructing the transition from clinical to academic practice, particularly in areas where clinical academic roles are yet to emerge. Conclusion: The absence of nurse‐led research in COVID‐19 can be explained by chronic, underlying factors and the features of the pandemic response. Emerging models of care, effective staffing and inequalities related to COVID‐19 appear obvious research areas. Nursing leadership needs to strengthen its political voice and lobbying skills to secure nurse‐led research funding. Implications for Nursing Policy: Embracing international nursing research, strengthening collaborations and lobbying policymakers for investment in nurse‐sensitive research would enhance the response to COVID‐19. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: This paper examines aspects of pandemic policy responses to the COVID‐19 and SARS‐CoV‐2 variants and presents an integrated view of the consequences of response tactics at national and health service levels for older adults. Background: Nurses are positioned at the intersection of health service and policy implementation; therefore, their influence on clinical protocols and health policy directions post pandemic is crucial to preventing further premature deaths in the 65+ years age group and others. Sources of evidence: Perspectives presented here are based on a critical evaluation of the many published reports, comments, research and insights concerning the pandemic. That evidence, combined with my experience in various fields of study and professional service, enables me to envisage what some decisions and policies may mean for older people, nurses and societies worldwide. Discussion: Established information on world population patterns and the location and health of national groups has been made less reliable by population shifts caused by years of geo‐political conflicts and now the impact of the pandemic. Added to this already chaotic context, the pandemic has further disrupted societies, health services and economies. Ageist responses by these systems have further disadvantaged older people and generated trust deficits that need to be resolved. Conclusion: When the pandemic recedes, policy and management decisions taken by governments and hospital administrators will be a telling indicator of whether the established systematic ageism exposed during the pandemic will continue to compromise the health and longevity of older adults. Implications for nursing, health and social policy: The ascendency of nursing influence within the health and social policy environment must be further strengthened to enable nurses to champion equity and fairness in the pandemic recovery effort. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: In this paper, we critically discuss the ethics of nurses' choice to strike during the COVID‐19 pandemic, considering legal and ethical arguments, overlaying the Ubuntu philosophy, an African ethic. Background: The recent unprecedented coronavirus disease pandemic and the increased reports on the absence of personal protective equipment in South Africa places many health workers' lives at risk. Nurses spend most of their time with patients, which exposes them to fatal risks as they work in unsafe environments. Research Methods: Exploratory literature review was conducted using Pubmed, CINAHL, Google Scholar and Science Direct) and law cases repository. Findings: Nurses thus may be justified in striking to protect their safety. State healthcare entities are obliged to ensure safety and protect the health of professionals during the pandemic. According to their Code of Practice and Pledge of Service, they are ethically obliged to put patients first, and as a result, they are legally barred from engaging in strike action. Conclusion: We conclude that there may be constitutional human rights arguments to support strike action. We also find that ethical principles alone do not provide clear direction to guide nurses in making justified and ethical decisions regarding service provision in an environment threatening to compromise their safety. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: To understand nurses' responses to COVID‐19 and identify their uptake of changes in the procedure required for the management of COVID‐19 in an inpatient psychiatric ward. Background: The infection risk for COVID‐19 in an enclosed inpatient psychiatric ward is high due to living arrangements in the ward and the nature of the infectious disease. Introduction: This paper describes inpatient nurses' experiences, challenges and strategies deployed at the institutional and national levels to contain the spread of infection. Methods: Written feedback was collected to understand nurses' responses and identify their uptake of changes in procedure following the COVID‐19 outbreak in the ward. Findings: Nurses felt shocked, worried, isolated, expressed a lack of confidence, and experienced physical exhaustion. COVID‐19 specific challenges were highlighted in the delivery of safe and quality nursing care. Nurses were satisfied with the hospital policy and strategies implemented during the outbreak, acknowledging the importance of support from nursing leaders. Discussion: Practical support and strong nursing leadership have been imperative in the battle against the COVID‐19 outbreak in the psychiatric hospital. Psychiatric nursing care was maintained with a modified management and treatment approach. Implications for Nursing practice: Nurses' willingness to adjust to the reconfiguration of operations to accommodate changes has been crucial for the healthcare system to run effectively. Good practices and policies established during this crisis should be developed and established permanently in nursing practice. Implications for Health Policy: Prompt and effective contingency planning and policymaking at the national and institutional level, targeting human resource management and infection control, can introduce changes and alternative options for nursing care in a pandemic. Conclusion: With support from influential nursing leaders, strategies and policies are imperative in ensuring the successful management of COVID situations in an inpatient psychiatric setting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nurses are the largest group of healthcare workers in the world, and during the COVID‐19 pandemic, nurses have been recognized worldwide as frontline warriors working hard to stem suffering, infection rates and deaths. Korean nurses experienced the effects of the pandemic earlier than in most other countries, and the work of our nurses has been recognized as a successful model in responding COVID‐19. In this paper, we share the experiences of Korean nurses, including their experiences of workload, acute shortages of staff and equipment and work overload, and suggest ongoing tasks that need to be addressed to combat the pandemic's second wave and other possible waves. Specifically, the nursing issues relating to COVID‐19 are critically reviewed and recommendations for each issue are suggested in terms of nursing staffing, practice and policy, as well as health policy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]