Factors affected nurses' burnout and resilience during the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic

Background: The first wave of the pandemic resulted in nurses experiencing severe psychological distress and contributed to an increased risk of burnout. Nurses experienced excessive workload over a prolonged period during the COVID-19 pandemic. It is important to investigate the experiences of front-line nurses during consecutive waves of the pandemic and identify factors that affected their resilience, burnout and coping. Aims: To examine the level of burnout and resilience among nurses during the peak of the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic and the factors that influenced nurses’ resilience and burnout. Design: A descriptive, cross-sectional research design was used in this study. Methods: A self-report survey involved 111 staff nurses from a variety of healthcare settings, who completed a self-administrated questionnaire between January and April 2021. The survey included pandemic related questions, perceived social support, perceived organisational support, burnout and resilience scales. The School Research Ethics Panel for Allied Health, Nursing and Midwifery and Medicine reviewed and approved this study (approval number NM-SREP-20-014). Findings: The study found that nurses experienced a high level of burnout and low to moderate levels of resilience. The level of burnout was negatively correlated to the level of perceived organisational support and resilience. Nurses’ worries about patient safety and how the pandemic affected their social role were positively correlated with burnout. Although nurses perceived high levels of social support, their feelings that the pandemic affected their social roles were associated with increasing their burnout. Conclusions: Nurses experienced a high level of burnout during the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, which may be influenced by how they felt their organisations supported them. Healthcare systems must value nurses as skilled professionals, demonstrate more commitment to staff, foster a culture of compassion, appreciation and recognition.