A survey by the Nurses Society finds a high level of concern by nurses for their personal health and safety from possible occupationally acquired COVID-19 infection. It also shows very strong support by the response by the Government and the Ministry of Health to COVID-19.
These are some of the findings in a survey with a sample of members. The survey was designed to measure views on a range of COVID-19 matters. Data has been collated from 500 participants (all registered nurses), who completed a 16-item questionnaire.
KEY FINDINGS INCLUDE:
· 77.4% of participants reported that they currently have reasonable access to PPE in their workplace, but 19.6% reported that they did not.
· One third of respondents are dissatisfied with the current Ministry of Health (MoH) PPE guidelines for their setting, as well as the local PPE policies and practices in their workplace.
· However, there is a high level of satisfaction with the response to COVID-19 by the Prime Minister, as well as the Government more generally and that of the MoH. Just 4.20% believe the response by the Prime Minister has been unsatisfactory and only 11.04% rate the MoH has unsatisfactory.
· Two thirds have confidence in the COVID-19 plans and preparations for their service.
· There is real concern about the ability of the health service to cope in the event of a ‘surge of COVID-19 patients’. Only 3.61% are “not at all” concerned.
· Many are concerned about their personal health and safety for occupationally acquired COVID-19 infection. Only 3.8% are “not at all” concerned.
Nurses Society Director David Wills says the survey offers a snapshot of Nurses Society member views.
“Whilst the survey only involved a relatively small proportion of our membership, there is good reason to believe that the findings reflect our membership as a whole and, in this instance, can probably be generalised to all nurses,” he said.
This is because detailed, professional-background data was collected on all survey participants and the data shows that participants spanned all parts of the health service.
“While there is clear concern about personal safety and access to PPE in some cases, as well as the threat posed by COVID-19 to health services, there is a high level of satisfaction with the overall response taken by the Government, the Prime Minister and the Ministry of Health”, Wills said.
"The high level of support for the response by the Government and the Ministry of Health is not surprising, because the 'go hard and go early' approach is evidence-based, and it appears to be working".
"The MoH PPE guidelines have a sound basis but we have always suggested to our membership that they be used as the minimum and that professional judgement should still be exercised on a case-by-case or situational basis by nurses, nurse managers and other clinicians and, in some situations, this should mean, employing additional or higher-level risk mitigation measures more widely."
RESPONSES TO SPECIFIC QUESTIONS
| Do you currently have reasonable access to PPE in your workplace? | |
| Yes | 77.40% |
| No | 19.60% |
| If not, are you reasonably confident that sufficient PPE will be available for you when it is needed and / or in the near future? | |
| Yes | 58.59% |
| No | 36.90% |
| Are you satisfied with the current Ministry of Health PPE guidelines for your setting / workplace? | |
| Yes | 55.55% |
| No | 40.04% |
| Are you satisfied with the PPE policies and practices in your workplace? | |
| Yes | 66.06% |
| No | 32.53% |
| Do you have confidence in the plans and preparations for COVID-19 to date for your service and / or specialty? | |
| Yes | 67.34% |
| No | 30.24% |
| How would you rate the Ministry of Health response to COVID-19 to date? | |
| Excellent | 33.33% |
| Satisfactory | 55.22% |
| Unsatisfactory | 11.04% |
| How would you rate the general response by Government to COVID-19? | |
| Excellent | 52.40% |
| Satisfactory | 39.20% |
| Unsatisfactory | 8.20% |
| How would you rate the general response by the Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern to COVID-19? | |
| Excellent | 68.80% |
| Satisfactory | 26.60% |
| Unsatisfactory | 4.20% |
| Are you worried about the ability of hospital and other health services to cope, if there is a ‘surge of COVID-19 patients’? | |
| Extremely | 48.50% |
| Moderately | 35.47% |
| Somewhat | 12.42% |
| Not at all | 3.61% |
| As a health professional, how worried are you about COVID-19 as a public health issue? | |
| Extremely | 66.40% |
| Moderately | 29.80% |
| Somewhat | 3.40% |
| Not at all | 0.40% |
| Are you concerned for your personal health and safety in terms of possible occupational exposure to COVID-19? | |
| Extremely | 37.40% |
| Moderately | 37.80% |
| A little | 20.60% |
| Not at all | 3.80% |
| How would you rate our (NSNZ) response to COVID-19? | |
| Excellent | 59.92% |
| Satisfactory | 38.08% |
| Unsatisfactory | 0.80% |
ABOUT THE SAMPLE:
· Respondents also provided 1253 comments. These comments are yet to be fully analysed.
· Data was collected over a seven-day period. The responses are able to be analysed cumulatively for that period as well as on a daily basis. The overall findings do not appear to vary on a day-on-day basis.
· The survey used a convenience sample of registered nurses. Convenience samples have significant limitations, but this sample would appear to be representative of our membership. Profile data suggests that the sample spanned a wide cross-section of clinical areas, specialties and all parts of the health sector. 46.49% of respondents work in DHBs.
· 500 members completed the questionnaire. A sample was used rather than total membership, in part for convenience but also to allow comments to be fully analysed in a manageable way.
A survey by the Nurses Society finds a high level of concern by nurses for their personal health and safety from possible occupationally acquired COVID-19 infection. It also shows very strong support by the response by the Government and the Ministry of Health to COVID-19.
These are some of the findings in a survey with a sample of members. The survey was designed to measure views on a range of COVID-19 matters. Data has been collated from 500 participants (all registered nurses), who completed a 16-item questionnaire.
KEY FINDINGS INCLUDE:
· 77.4% of participants reported that they currently have reasonable access to PPE in their workplace, but 19.6% reported that they did not.
· One third of respondents are dissatisfied with the current Ministry of Health (MoH) PPE guidelines for their setting, as well as the local PPE policies and practices in their workplace.
· However, there is a high level of satisfaction with the response to COVID-19 by the Prime Minister, as well as the Government more generally and that of the MoH. Just 4.20% believe the response by the Prime Minister has been unsatisfactory and only 11.04% rate the MoH has unsatisfactory.
· Two thirds have confidence in the COVID-19 plans and preparations for their service.
· There is real concern about the ability of the health service to cope in the event of a ‘surge of COVID-19 patients’. Only 3.61% are “not at all” concerned.
· Many are concerned about their personal health and safety for occupationally acquired COVID-19 infection. Only 3.8% are “not at all” concerned.
Nurses Society Director David Wills says the survey offers a snapshot of Nurses Society member views.
“Whilst the survey only involved a relatively small proportion of our membership, there is good reason to believe that the findings reflect our membership as a whole and, in this instance, can probably be generalised to all nurses,” he said.
This is because detailed, professional-background data was collected on all survey participants and the data shows that participants spanned all parts of the health service.
“While there is clear concern about personal safety and access to PPE in some cases, as well as the threat posed by COVID-19 to health services, there is a high level of satisfaction with the overall response taken by the Government, the Prime Minister and the Ministry of Health”, Wills said.
"The high level of support for the response by the Government and the Ministry of Health is not surprising, because the 'go hard and go early' approach is evidence-based, and it appears to be working".
"The MoH PPE guidelines have a sound basis but we have always suggested to our membership that they be used as the minimum and that professional judgement should still be exercised on a case-by-case or situational basis by nurses, nurse managers and other clinicians and, in some situations, this should mean, employing additional or higher-level risk mitigation measures more widely."
RESPONSES TO SPECIFIC QUESTIONS
| Do you currently have reasonable access to PPE in your workplace? | |
| Yes | 77.40% |
| No | 19.60% |
| If not, are you reasonably confident that sufficient PPE will be available for you when it is needed and / or in the near future? | |
| Yes | 58.59% |
| No | 36.90% |
| Are you satisfied with the current Ministry of Health PPE guidelines for your setting / workplace? | |
| Yes | 55.55% |
| No | 40.04% |
| Are you satisfied with the PPE policies and practices in your workplace? | |
| Yes | 66.06% |
| No | 32.53% |
| Do you have confidence in the plans and preparations for COVID-19 to date for your service and / or specialty? | |
| Yes | 67.34% |
| No | 30.24% |
| How would you rate the Ministry of Health response to COVID-19 to date? | |
| Excellent | 33.33% |
| Satisfactory | 55.22% |
| Unsatisfactory | 11.04% |
| How would you rate the general response by Government to COVID-19? | |
| Excellent | 52.40% |
| Satisfactory | 39.20% |
| Unsatisfactory | 8.20% |
| How would you rate the general response by the Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern to COVID-19? | |
| Excellent | 68.80% |
| Satisfactory | 26.60% |
| Unsatisfactory | 4.20% |
| Are you worried about the ability of hospital and other health services to cope, if there is a ‘surge of COVID-19 patients’? | |
| Extremely | 48.50% |
| Moderately | 35.47% |
| Somewhat | 12.42% |
| Not at all | 3.61% |
| As a health professional, how worried are you about COVID-19 as a public health issue? | |
| Extremely | 66.40% |
| Moderately | 29.80% |
| Somewhat | 3.40% |
| Not at all | 0.40% |
| Are you concerned for your personal health and safety in terms of possible occupational exposure to COVID-19? | |
| Extremely | 37.40% |
| Moderately | 37.80% |
| A little | 20.60% |
| Not at all | 3.80% |
| How would you rate our (NSNZ) response to COVID-19? | |
| Excellent | 59.92% |
| Satisfactory | 38.08% |
| Unsatisfactory | 0.80% |
ABOUT THE SAMPLE:
· Respondents also provided 1253 comments. These comments are yet to be fully analysed.
· Data was collected over a seven-day period. The responses are able to be analysed cumulatively for that period as well as on a daily basis. The overall findings do not appear to vary on a day-on-day basis.
· The survey used a convenience sample of registered nurses. Convenience samples have significant limitations, but this sample would appear to be representative of our membership. Profile data suggests that the sample spanned a wide cross-section of clinical areas, specialties and all parts of the health sector. 46.49% of respondents work in DHBs.
· 500 members completed the questionnaire. A sample was used rather than total membership, in part for convenience but also to allow comments to be fully analysed in a manageable way.