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Level of Fear in Front-Line Nurses During the COVID-19 Pandemic, a Cross-Sectional Study in Iran

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  19 July 2022

Maryam Moradi  and
Simintaj Sharififar Open the ORCID record for Simintaj Sharififar [Opens in a new window]
Maryam Moradi
Affiliation:
Department of Health in Disasters and Emergencies, School of Nursing, Aja University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
Simintaj Sharififar*
Affiliation:
Department of Health in Disasters and Emergencies, School of Nursing, Aja University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
*
Corresponding author: Simintaj Sharififar, Email: s_sharififar@yahoo.com.
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Abstract

Introduction:

The front-line nurses are at risk of physical and psychological damage during an epidemic. This study aimed to investigate the level of nurses’ fear in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) central hospitals in Iran.

Methods:

The study is cross-sectional. The questionnaire was designed in 2 parts (demographic and the level of fear). The sampling method was quota and random. The questionnaires were completed by the same nurses after 4 weeks.

Results:

A total of 345 questionnaires were distributed (the response rate was 89.27%). A total of 121 nurses (39.3%) were female. Most participants were in the 26-30 y group. paired t-test showed the mean fear of COVID-19 in the first and the fourth weeks was significant (P < 0.001). There was a statistical relationship between demographic variables of gender, age, marriage, number of working shifts, having children, and work experience of nurses with the level of fear.

Conclusions:

Health-care providers have shown resilience and a spirit of professional sacrifice to overcome problems. The nurses experienced a level of disease-related fear in close contact with COVID-19 patients. It is essential to apply strategies to optimize safe working conditions and minimize psychological harm and provide regular and intensive training to all health-care providers to improve preparedness.

Keywords

COVID-19fearnursing personnelIRANpanic
Type
Original Research
Information
Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness , Volume 17 , 2023 , e206
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2022. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of Society for Disaster Medicine and Public Health, Inc.

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