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Managing Shifting Visitor Restrictions in Hospitals during the COVID-19 Pandemic from National Authority Level to Charge Nurses' Practice: A Descriptive Study.
- Source :
- Journal of Nursing Management; 4/27/2024, Vol. 2024, p1-12, 12p
- Publication Year :
- 2024
-
Abstract
- Introduction. Little is known about how shifting hospital visitor restrictions issued by national health authorities were communicated, managed, and adapted by hospital charge nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic. Aims. To describe the shifting visitor restrictions and the passing on of restrictions from the national authority level to charge nurses and secondly describe charge nurses' management of the restrictions and their challenges when enforcing them. Methods. The study consisted of a document analysis and a cross-sectional survey including open-ended questions. Descriptive statistics and qualitative content analysis were used. The survey was distributed online to 88 charge nurses in somatic units in a Danish university hospital from March 2020 to April 2021. Results. Restrictions were communicated from national authority level in an effective administrative cascade. The charge nurses led their enforcement in each unit. In total, 71 charge nurses (81%) responded to the survey. For 70%, the wording of the restrictions was clear, while 31% found them challenging to handle. On a weekly or daily basis, 68% of the charge nurses deviated from the restrictions. They identified both upsides and downsides to the absence of relatives. Communication, collaboration, and leadership were experienced as key tools in the ongoing processes of adapting to shifting restrictions. Conclusion. During this severe health crisis, essential information was passed on through well-defined management levels in an effective communication pathway. Charge nurses and their professional values were challenged when balancing shifting national restrictions against individual needs of patients and relatives. Implications for Nursing Management. Charge nurses serve as vital intermediaries between national authorities and frontline nursing practice in managing shifting visitor restrictions during a pandemic. Their experiences can contribute to further qualifying nurse managers' considerations when designing family-centred hospital visitor policies for the future. Also, they may strengthen the handling of future sudden major organizational changes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Subjects :
- HOSPITALS & psychology
NATIONAL health services
CROSS-sectional method
NURSE administrators
OCCUPATIONAL adaptation
QUALITATIVE research
ACADEMIC medical centers
INTERPROFESSIONAL relations
HUMAN beings
CONTENT analysis
LEADERSHIP
QUESTIONNAIRES
VISITING the sick
WORK experience (Employment)
DESCRIPTIVE statistics
DECISION making
QUANTITATIVE research
SURVEYS
RESEARCH methodology
COMMUNICATION
DATA analysis software
COVID-19 pandemic
Subjects
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 09660429
- Volume :
- 2024
- Database :
- Complementary Index
- Journal :
- Journal of Nursing Management
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 176865716
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1155/2024/1393767