Working Environment, Personal Protective Equipment, Personal Life Changes, and Well-Being Perceived in Spanish Nurses during COVID-19 Pandemic: A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

During the COVID-19 pandemic, nurses have had to face logistical problems related to critical changes in their work environment, the supply of personal protective equipment (PPE), and hard personal life decisions. This study aimed to investigate the changes in the working environment, PPE use, personal lives, and well-being as perceived by nurses in hospitals and primary care centers in Spain, during the COVID-19 pandemic. A descriptive cross-sectional survey study was conducted in April 2020, including 61 public and private hospitals, and 852 primary care centers. A total of 1296 nurses participated. The redeployment practice for organizational or vulnerability reasons was used by 26.4% of the participants. A total of 61.9% of the nurses doubled the time they used masks, and 8.3% of them could only replace the mask once a week. A total of 11.2% (n = 145) of the nurses left home to avoid infecting their family. Finally, 60.97% of the participants stated that their well-being was reduced compared to the state before the pandemic. Changes in the work environment, the use of PPE, and personal life may be related to the decrease in personal well-being perceived by the nurses.