Table 1.
Demographic and work characteristics of the 39 interviewed nurses
| Characteristics | n (%) |
| Age (years) | |
| 20–29 | 12 (30.8) |
| 30–39 | 17 (43.6) |
| 40–49 | 5 (12.8) |
| 50–59 | 5 (12.8) |
| Sex | |
| Male | 12 (30.8) |
| Female | 27 (69.2) |
| Marital status | |
| Single | 21 (53.8) |
| Married | 18 (46.2) |
| Children | |
| One | 3 (7.7) |
| More than one | 7 (17.9) |
| None | 29 (74.4) |
| Education | |
| Bachelor’s degree | 10 (25.6) |
| Master’s degree | 26 (66.7) |
| Doctoral degree | 3 (7.7) |
| Years of nursing experience | |
| 1–5 | 11 (28.2) |
| 6–10 | 14 (35.9) |
| 11–15 | 4 (10.3) |
| >15 | 10 (25.6) |
| Position | |
| Registered nurse | 23 (58.9) |
| Advanced practice nurse | 8 (20.5) |
| Senior nursing officer | 1 (2.6) |
| Ward manager | 3 (7.7) |
| Nurse consultant | 3 (7.7) |
| Department operations manager | 1 (2.6) |
| Ward worked when caring for people with COVID-19 | |
| Isolation ward* | 16 (41.0) |
| Intensive care unit† | 7 (20.6) |
| Accident and emergency department‡ | 8 (23.5) |
| Medical and geriatric ward§ | 1 (2.9) |
| Paediatric ward¶ | 5 (14.7) |
| Other roles | 2 (5.1) |
| Time spent doing COVID-19-related care or work (hours/week) | |
| 1–10 | 6 (15.4) |
| 11–20 | 9 (23.1) |
| 21–30 | 2 (5.1) |
| 31–40 | 10 (25.6) |
| >40 | 9 (23.1) |
| Difficult to measure | 3 (7.7) |
| Time spent doing COVID-19-related care or work (months) | |
| 1–2 | 8 (20.5) |
| 3–4 | 10 (25.6) |
| 5–6 | 20 (51.3) |
| 7–8 | 1 (2.6) |
| Previous infection control team experience? | |
| Yes | 29 (74.4) |
| No | 10 (25.6) |
| Received COVID-19-related training? | |
| Yes | 35 (89.7) |
| No | 4 (10.3) |
| Have washout period?** | |
| Yes | 6 (15.4) |
| No | 31 (79.5) |
| Not applicable | 2 (5.1) |
| Living situation during care of people with COVID-19 | |
| Hotel | 19 (48.7) |
| Flat rental | 3 (7.7) |
| No change | 17 (43.6) |
| Sleep quality during care of people with COVID-19 | |
| Good | 3 (7.7) |
| Normal | 26 (66.7) |
| Poor | 10 (25.6) |
| Sleep quantity during care of people with COVID-19 | |
| Increased | 3 (7.7) |
| No change | 32 (82.1) |
| Decreased | 4 (10.3) |
*Isolation wards are rooms equipped with negative pressure air extraction systems to prevent the spread of pathogens, including from people with suspected or diagnosed COVID-19. A full set of personal protective equipment must be worn when entering these wards.
†Intensive care units are dedicated wards for the provision of intensive care, including to critically ill people with COVID-19.
‡Accident and emergency departments provide services for critically ill or injured people. People suspected with COVID-19 symptoms are commonly identified through enhanced surveillance in these facilities.
§Medical and geriatric wards target the care of elderly patients. Older people admitted due to other health conditions may be identified as suspected COVID-19 cases.
¶Paediatric wards provide care to minors under 18 years old. Children with suspected COVID-19 symptoms and their parents may be isolated and put under surveillance in these wards.
**A washout period is defined as a period of time of typically 2–4 weeks that is taken off from work after being deployed to take care of people with suspected or diagnosed COVID-19 in isolation wards and before resuming previous clinical duties in other wards.