Using Heart Rate Variability to Assess Nurses’ Stress During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

Objective: This study aimed to assess subjective and objective parameters of stress among nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic and to examine the recovery effect of a day off. Methods: In this prospective observational trial, we measured heart rate variability (using a wearable device) and perceived stress levels on 3 working days and 1 day off. We obtained the following data using an online questionnaire: working conditions, COVID-19-related problems, depression (Patient Health Questionnaire-9), anxiety (Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7), effort-reward imbalance, and work-family conflict in a sample of German nurses (N = 41). Results: When comparing working days with a day off, we observed a significant difference for physical load (Cohen’s d = 0.798, P