Compliance with Ministry of Health Regulations among Israeli Nurses during the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Mediating Role of Risk Perception

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has created a sustained state of emergency, causing uncertainty and risk taking. Israeli nurses were required to follow new regulations and safety measures issued by the Israeli Ministry of Health (MOH). This study aimed to examine nurses’ compliance with MOH regulations and its association with their risk and threat perceptions and their positive and negative emotions. A cross-sectional online survey was conducted among 346 Israeli nurses. The study model was examined with path analysis. Most nurses reported complying with MOH regulations either fully (49%) or very often (30%). Negative emotions were positively associated with perceptions of both threat and risk, yet only risk perception was positively associated with nurses’ compliance. A significant mediated relationship was found between negative emotions and nurses’ compliance, with the possible mediator being risk perception. Hence, higher negative emotions were associated with a greater risk perception, which was associated with higher compliance. Health systems leaders must strategize to deal with the wave-like character of the pandemic. Solutions to nursing teams’ negative emotions must be provided to keep the balance between feelings of complacency and a situation of high-level, intense negative feelings, which might lead to abstention, burnout, or emotional injury.