Preparedness of Nurses for Controlling and Preventing the COVID-19 Infection: A Study from Referral Hospitals in Banda Aceh, Indonesia

Abstract

BACKGROUND: The spread of COVID-19 infection has led to high morbidity and mortality rates worldwide. Nurses are the frontline health workers in handling COVID-19 infections, so adequate preparedness is needed for them to contribute to controlling and preventing the infections. AIM: This study examines the differences in nurses’ preparedness to control and prevent COVID-19 infection at the two hospitals in Banda Aceh, Indonesia. METHODS: This study is a comparative study with a cross-sectional study approach. The sample were nurses in the COVID-19 ward at hospitals A (n=75) and B (n=36). Data collection was conducted by administering a questionnaire consisting of 39 items in a 5-point Likert scale through Google form. The questionnaire satisfied the content validity by experts and reliability test using Cronbach alpha (= 0.968). Mann Whitney U-Test was conducted for analyzing the data. RESULTS: The results revealed that no significant difference in the preparedness of nurses in controlling and preventing the COVID-19 infection in both hospitals (p=0.860). CONCLUSION: The study findings indicate that respondents' demographic data, such as working experience, nurse education, working experience in the COVID-19 ward, and participation in COVID-19 management training, contributed to the nurses’ preparedness.