Occupational stress in the context of COVID-19: analysis based on Neuman’s theory

Abstract

Objective: To identify occupational stressors in healthcare professionals and interventions focused on prevention in the context of COVID-19, based on betty Neuman’s systems model. Method: A literature review was conducted with the scoping review method, according to Joanna Briggs Institute in the databases The Cochrane Library, Scopus, Web of Science, National Library of Medicine (MEDLINE/PubMed), The Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL) and Latin American and Caribbean Literature on Health Sciences (LILACS). Studies related to stressors and interventions aimed at prevention in the face of occupational stress in healthcare professionals in the context of COVID-19, published in any language and available, in full, free of charge were included. Data were analyzed in the light of Betty Neuman’s Theory. Results: The final sample consisted of 27 articles. The stressors identified were categorized into intrapersonal: fear of contagion and restricted knowledge of the disease; interpersonal: change in social relationships and fear of transmission to family members, experiencing the illness of colleagues and family members and loss of loved ones; inadequate health system and work overload. Interventions focused on prevention were indexed according to the level of primary, secondary and tertiary healthcare. Conclusion: Most studies have emphasized primary prevention measures. The use of the theoretical framework will allow nurses and health managers to make decisions and develop future interventions for the management of occupational stress of professionals who deal daily with COVID-19.