Impact of Covid-19 in District Nursing Care
COVID-19 has had a significant impact on healthcare systems worldwide. Little is known about how COVID-19 affects older patients living at home or how it affects district nursing teams providing care to these patients.
Objective
This study aims to (1) explore COVID-19’s impact on patients receiving district nursing care, district nursing teams, and their organisations during the first outbreak in March 2020 as well as one year later; and (2) identify the needs of district nurses regarding future outbreaks.
Results
This study showed that the COVID pandemic has substantially impacted patient care and district nursing teams both positively and negatively. A year after the first outbreak, more support and appreciation is needed in terms of trust and appropriate policies on national level.
Duration
01 April 2020 - 01 February 2022
Approach
A mixed-methods, two-phase, sequential exploratory design was followed. In total, 36 district nurses were interviewed during the first outbreak (March 2020), of which 18 participated in the follow-up questionnaire in April 2021.
Publications
Publication ENG (open access): The Impact of COVID-19 from the Perspectives of Dutch District Nurses: A Mixed-Methods Study
Publication NL: Kritisch bekeken | Covid-19 in de wijkverpleging