ARELLANO UNIVERSITY

COLLEGE OF NURSING

EVANGELINE J. CAYETANO
 I. INTRODUCTION
➔ The worldwide coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is
very alarming and life-threatening to all mankind.
➔ The nurses are carrying the brunt of the pandemic as the
frontliners handling patients with COVID-19.
➔ Increase number of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-
19), long hours of working, anxiety, and full capacity
hospitals are the problems of nurses in rendering for the
care and management of patients in the time of
coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.
➔ The psychological impact can become dangerous for a
healthcare worker who's been bearing the burden of
millions of patients who are admitted to the hospital, and
those patients who die.
 II. RELATED LITERATURES

➔ Nurses are subjected to additional stress as a result of directly

treating infected patients and increased risk of contagion, fear
of transmission to their families, concerns about their own and
loved ones' health, feelings of stigmatization and rejection, and
working under extreme pressures
➔ Nurses are expected to deal with patients' painful experiences
as well as the unanticipated loss of friends, family, and
coworkers in the setting of the pandemic crisis.
➔ Pandemic self-efficacy (capacity to adapt), social support, and
psychological support and assistance in creating practical
competencies to tackle the epidemic can help to prevent
psychological symptoms and boost job satisfaction.
 III. RESEARCH QUESTION

➔ Describe the untold realities of nurses as

frontliners during the COVID19 pandemic.

➔ How do these untold realities of nurses during

COVID-19 pandemic affects their mental well-
being?

➔ How do nurses cope with the impact of COVID-19

pandemic in their life?
 IV. METHODOLOGY
➔ The research design used in this study is a qualitative interpretative
phenomenological study.
➔ The participants are all Filipino nurses who are nursing graduates of Arellano
University.
➔ The healthcare setting and system are focused only on the Philippines during
the COVID-19 pandemic.
➔ A purposive sampling method was used in this study.
➔ There were ten (10) Filipino nurses from public and private hospitals in the
Philippines who fulfilled the study's eligibility criteria, and they worked in a
variety of departments: emergency nurse, intensive care unit nurse, operating
room nurse, dialysis nurse, and company nurse during COVID-19 pandemic.
➔ The online interview schedule is semi- structured.
➔ The recordings were transcribed and analyzed using Colaizzi's
phenomenological analysis method.
 V. RESULTS
1. The Untold Realities of Nurses as Frontliners 1.5 Compassion Fatigue
During COVID-19 Pandemic ➔ Prolonged working hours
➔ Wearing of PPE
1.1 Fear of Cluster Infections ➔ Uncomfortable PPE and torrid weather
➔ Family ➔ Shortage of nurses
➔ Immunocompromised Individual ➔ Extreme tiredness
➔ Workload
1.2 Compromised Nurse to Patient Ratio ➔ Unable to go the restroom
➔ Heavy workload ➔ Hunger
➔ Extended duty
➔ Shortage of nurses 1.6 Discomfort in wearing PPE

1.3 Compromised Working Hours 1.7 COVID-19 Related Anxiety

➔ Somnolence ➔ Increasing Number of deaths due to COVID-19
➔ Hunger ➔ Increasing Number of Patients and healthcare
➔ Fatigue workers being infected

1.4 Discrimination and aggression towards 1.8 Financial difficulties

Nurses ➔ Underpaid and inappropriate Hazard Pay
 V. RESULTS
2. Untold Realities of Nurses that Affected their Mental Well-being
TOP UNTOLD REALITIES OF NURSES AS
FRONTLINERS THAT AFFECTED THEIR
MENTAL WELL-BEING DURING COVID-19
PANDEMIC
Respondent 1: Fear of Cluster Infections (Family)
Respondent 2: Fear of Cluster Infections (Family),
Discomfort in Wearing PPE, and Compassion
Fatigue
Respondent 3: Fear of Cluster Infections (Family
and Immunocompromised Individual)
Respondent 4: Compromised Working Hours,
Compassion Fatigue, and Isolation from the
Family
Respondent 5: Compassion Fatigue
Respondent 6: Fear of Cluster Infection
(Family), Compassion Fatigue, and Discomfort in
Wearing PPE
Respondent 7: Fear of Cluster Infections (Family
and Immunocompromised Individual) and
Compromised Nurse to Patient Ratio
Respondent 8: Fear of Cluster Infection (Family)
Respondent 9: Fear of Cluster Infection (Family)
Respondent 10: Compassion Fatigue and
Compromised Nurse to Patient Ratio
 V. RESULTS
3. Coping Mechanisms

3.1 Familial Support System 3.5 Taking Care of Mental Health: Acceptance
and Resilience
3.2 Virtual Communication
➔ Acceptance
➔ Online Communication with friends and ➔ Resilience
family ➔ Self-awareness
➔ Stress outlet
3.3 Work-life balance ➔ Verbalization of frustrations

➔ Leisure activities – watching movies

(Netflix), music therapy (YouTube and
Spotify), road trip, drinking, smoking,
vaping, and Rest periods

3.4 Spiritual/Religious Support

 VI. CONCLUSION
➔ Fear of cluster infections (family and immunocompromised individuals), compassion
fatigue, compromised working hours, and compromised nurse-patient ratio are four
prominent responses of Filipino nurses in various departments, including private and
public hospitals, to the study's untold realities.

➔ The untold realities that affect the mental well-being of Filipino nurses in various
departments, both private and public hospitals, were identified and described in this
study. Fear of cluster infections, compassion fatigue, compromised working hours,
compromised nurse to patient ratio, difficulty in wearing PPE, and isolation from their
families are all significantly linked to their mental health as identified in the participants’
statements.

➔ The themes identified in the coping mechanisms of the Filipino nurses help to reduce
their stress and relieve their fatigue. These are having a familial support system, virtual
communication, work-life balance, spiritual or religious support, and taking care of
mental health through acceptance and resilience.
 VII. RECOMMENDATIONS
1. Filipino nurses dealing with challenges during a pandemic must have a high
level of self-resilience and self-care.

1.1 Implement the S.E.L.F.L.O.V.E Plan.

1.2 Nurses in the Philippines must be reminded that, while doing their best at
work, they must also take time for themselves and maintain a healthy work-
life balance.

1.3 The government should provide the appropriate salary and benefits for
nurses and reduce the workload by implementing a shift system and
requesting an appropriate number of nursing staff for each public and
private hospital to manage work pressure.
 VII. RECOMMENDATIONS
2. The COVID-19 outbreak caused great challenges that affected the mental
wellbeing of Filipino nurses, and what researchers can recommend is as follows:

2.1 To maintain an open line of communication, make sure the nurses are
aware of where they can get mental health and psychosocial support from
psychiatrists.

2.2 Researchers were also able to come up with a recommended program

titled "Self-care, Encouragement to Love, and Fulfillment to Oneself while
Valuing Empathy" (SELF-LOVE) to address the mental well-being of Filipino
nurses in various departments of public and private hospitals.

3. Participants utilized these coping mechanisms effectively and successfully as

they faced multiple work challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic.
 VII. RECOMMENDATIONS
4. Integrating S.E.L.F L.O.V.E: A Phenomenological Study on
the Lived Experiences of Nurses During the COVID-19
Pandemic is the research title recommended by the
researchers based on the findings of the study.

5. The researcher created a Nursing Symbolism: Nurses as

Lifesavers, which addresses the work challenges faced by
Filipino nurses by applying specific coping mechanisms, as
well as a Pandemic Preparedness, Response, and Recovery
Plan and a S.E.L.F. L.O.V.E Plan.