Table 1.

Characteristics of ICU nurses and their experiences during the first COVID-19 surge.

	ICU nurses (N = 726)
Characteristics
Age in years, mean (SD)	45.0 (11.4)
Female, n (%)	536 (73.8)
Experience as ICU nurse in years, mean (SD)	16.2 (11.3)
Hospital type, n (%):
-Academic	272 (37.5)
-Non-academic	454 (62.5)
Normal weekly working hours, mean (SD)	30.4 (4.9)
During the COVID-19 surge:
-Worked more hours in total, n (%)	586 (80.7)
-Worked longer shifts, n (%)	174 (24.0)
-If so, duration in weeks, median (IQR)	8 (5-12)
-Shift duration in hours, median (IQR)	8 (8-8)
Number of ICU nurses:
-Registered ICU nurses, n (%)	626 (86.2)
-Trainee ICU nurse, n (%)	37 (5.1)
-Other, however worked in the ICU during the first surge, n (%)	63 (8.7)
Number of hospital ICU beds, n (%)
Before the pandemic
≤32	587 (80.9)
>32	139 (19.1)
During the pandemic
≤32	394 (54.3)
>32	331 (45.7)
Experiences during first COVID-19 surge
Worked in a COVID-19 ICU unit, Yes, n (%)	689 (94.9)
Received supplementary training focussed on COVID-19, Yes, n (%)	204 (28.1)
Visiting ICU was allowed for family members, Yes n (%)	283 (39.0)
Considered or considering quitting, Yes, n (%)	207 (28.5)
Been on holiday since the first surge, Yes, n (%)	574 (79.1)
Job satisfaction compared to before the pandemic, n (%)
-More, n (%)	53 (7.3)
-Equal, n (%)	440 (60.6)
-Less, n (%)	233 (32.1)
Afraid of getting infected, Yes, n (%)	220 (30.3)
Afraid of infecting a family member, Yes, n (%)	381 (52.5)
Dreading a second surge, Yes, n (%)	358 (49.3)
Working conditions during the first COVID-19 surge
Working with other ICU nurses went well, Agree, n (%)	703 (96.8)
There was enough qualified personnel, Agree, n (%)	422 (58.1)
There was enough adequate PPE, Agree, n (%)	548 (75.5)
The collaboration with other HCW went well, Agree, n (%)	656 (90.4)
I felt supported by my supervisor, Agree, n (%)	579 (79.8)
There was enough (logistic) support with admissions and transfers, Agree, n (%)	557 (76.7)
Communication with relatives went well, Agree, n (%)	568 (78.2)
Private circumstances during the first COVID-19 surge
I took enough rest during my days off, Agree, n (%)	568 (78.2)
I was confident everything was going to be fine, Agree, n (%)	538 (74.1)
I was able to find the right balance between work and social life, Agree, n (%)	404 (55.6)
I felt supported by family and friends, Agree, n (%)	703 (96.8)
I noticed the situation at work had a negative impact on my social life, Agree, n (%)	426 (58.7)
Experienced stress (NRS stress score 0-100), median (IQR)
-Before the pandemic	20 (10–30)
-During the first surge	70 (42–81)a
-After the first surge	30 (14–50)a,b

Abbreviations: ICU, Intensive Care Unit; COVID-19, coronavirus disease of 2019; PPE, personal protective equipment; HCW, health care workers.

• a.
  Significantly different compared to before the pandemic (p < 0.001).
• b.
  Significantly different compared to during the pandemic (p < 0.0001).