Abstract
A healthy work environment improves patient outcomes and promotes resiliency by supporting the wellbeing of the nurses. The purpose of our study was to describe labor and delivery nurses’ experiences in caring for patients during the COVID-19 pandemic. We used a descriptive phenomenological design and purposeful sampling to recruit experienced labor and delivery nurses for flexible semi-structured face-to-face audiotaped interviews. Constant comparison was used to analyze data. Ten nurses employed in a labor and delivery unit in two acute care hospitals in southern Texas participated and were interviewed from June through August 2022.
Five distinct themes were identified: Psychological stress during COVID-19; Feelings of satisfaction and gratitude; Resilience and readiness for positive change; Patient centered care; and Interprofessional collaboration. These findings build on our understanding of key determinants contributing to labor and delivery nurses’ ability to adjust to the unprecedented and chaotic working conditions during the COVID-19 pandemic and highlighted several factors that could influence nurses’ resilience and job satisfaction.
These findings also serve as a learning experience to create a healthy environment and promote and improve patient outcomes and well-being of the nurses. Interprofessional collaborative efforts, supportive environment, evidence-based policy changes, and effective leadership can enhance patient centered care and built a constructive workplace for nurses.
Notes
References:
Eanes, L., Mathew, L., Phillips, B., Paul, D., & Mathews, M. (in press) Labor nurses experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic. MCN: The American Journal of Maternal/Child Nursing
George, E. K., Weiseth, A., & Edmonds, J. K. (2021). Roles and experiences of registered nurses on labor and delivery units in the United States during the Covid-19 pandemic. Journal of Obstetric, Gynecologic, and Neonatal Nursing, 50(6), 742–752. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jogn.2021.08.096
Kester, K., Pena, H., Shuford, C., Hansen, C., Stokes, J., Brooks, K., Bolton, T., Ornell, A., Parker, P., Febre, J., Andrews, K., Flynn, G., Ruiz, R., Evans, T., Kettle, M., Minter, J., & Granger, B. (2021). Implementing AACN's healthy work environment framework in an intensive care unit. American Association of Critical-Care Nurses, 30(6), 426–433. https://doi.org/10.4037/ajcc2021108
Office of the Surgeon General (2022). Addressing health worker burnout: The U.S. surgeon general’s advisory on building a thriving health workforce. US Department of Health and Human Services. https://www.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/health-worker-wellbeing-advisory.pdf
Williams, K. M., Campbell, C. M., House, S., Hodson, P., Swiger, P. A., Orina, J., Javed, M., Pierce, T., & Patrician, P. A. (2024). Healthy work environment: A systematic review informing a nursing professional practice model in the US Military Health System. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 80(9), 3565–3576. https://doi.org/10.1111/jan.16141
Sigma Membership
Pi Omicron
Type
Presentation
Format Type
Text-based Document
Study Design/Type
N/A
Research Approach
Pilot/Exploratory Study
Keywords:
Stress and Coping, Interprofessional, Interdisciplinary, Workforce
Recommended Citation
Eanes, Linda; Mathew, Liji; Phillips, Betty; Paul, Dalia; and Mathews, Moncy, "Overcoming Challenges: Creating a Healthy Work Environment" (2025). Creating Healthy Work Environments (CHWE). 53.
https://www.sigmarepository.org/chwe/2025/presentations_2025/53
Conference Name
Creating Healthy Work Environments
Conference Host
Sigma Theta Tau International
Conference Location
Phoenix, Arizona, USA
Conference Year
2025
Rights Holder
All rights reserved by the author(s) and/or publisher(s) listed in this item record unless relinquished in whole or part by a rights notation or a Creative Commons License present in this item record.
Review Type
Abstract Review Only: Reviewed by Event Host
Acquisition
Proxy-submission
Overcoming Challenges: Creating a Healthy Work Environment
Phoenix, Arizona, USA
A healthy work environment improves patient outcomes and promotes resiliency by supporting the wellbeing of the nurses. The purpose of our study was to describe labor and delivery nurses’ experiences in caring for patients during the COVID-19 pandemic. We used a descriptive phenomenological design and purposeful sampling to recruit experienced labor and delivery nurses for flexible semi-structured face-to-face audiotaped interviews. Constant comparison was used to analyze data. Ten nurses employed in a labor and delivery unit in two acute care hospitals in southern Texas participated and were interviewed from June through August 2022.
Five distinct themes were identified: Psychological stress during COVID-19; Feelings of satisfaction and gratitude; Resilience and readiness for positive change; Patient centered care; and Interprofessional collaboration. These findings build on our understanding of key determinants contributing to labor and delivery nurses’ ability to adjust to the unprecedented and chaotic working conditions during the COVID-19 pandemic and highlighted several factors that could influence nurses’ resilience and job satisfaction.
These findings also serve as a learning experience to create a healthy environment and promote and improve patient outcomes and well-being of the nurses. Interprofessional collaborative efforts, supportive environment, evidence-based policy changes, and effective leadership can enhance patient centered care and built a constructive workplace for nurses.
Description
Nurses’ experiences and challenges faced during COVID-19 pandemic exemplify the importance of creating and sustaining healthy work environment to improve patient outcomes. Nurses as frontline workers can incorporate evidence-based policy changes, and actively participate in leadership roles to build healthy interprofessional healthcare teams and strong supportive environments to enhance their well-being.