Perceived effects of COVID-19 pandemic on stress levels and its related factors of NICU nurses

Abstract COVID-19 pandemic has affected numerous conditions in nurses’ jobs, which led to stress. Stress in neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) nurses is different from other units due to neonates’ fragility. This study aims to identify the perceived effect of the COVID-19 pandemic in NICU nurses’ stress levels and its related factors. This cross-sectional study took place in Hasan Sadikin General Hospital Bandung, Indonesia, in October – December 2020, involving 23 NICU nurses. Subjects filled in the online questionnaires for three different time frames: before the pandemic, at the onset of the pandemic, and in the new normal era. Data were analyzed using Friedman test, post hoc Wilcoxon test, and Bonferroni correction. There was significant difference in nurses’ stress before the pandemic, at the onset of the pandemic, and in the new normal era. The stress increased at the onset of the pandemic and then decreased in the new normal era. The COVID-19 pandemic increased stress level and affected workloads, work-safety, interpersonal relationships, family problems, and economic problems. With these findings, we recommend the hospital management do a regular stress screening on NICU nurses and refer to the psychiatric department if nurses experience stress.