Determination of the relationship between workload and anxiety levels of pediatric nurses in he COVID-19 pandemic

This descriptive research was conducted with 511 pediatric nurses to determine the relationship between workload and anxiety of pediatric nurses. "Sciodemofraphic and Occupational Informtion Form," "Workload Scale(WS)," "Coronavirus Anxiety Scale(CAS)" were used to collect data of study. In the evaluation, the number, percentage,mean, independent samples t-test, one-way ANOVA, post-hoc multiple comparison, and Spearman correlation tests were used.The majority of the nurses under 30 years old(72.4%) and are female(83.4%), univeristy graduate and master's degree(61.4%)(Table 4.1), working time in the nursing profession for less than 5 years(43.6%), working in the intensive care unit(79.3%),working time in current position(39.3%),on the day shift(39.3%), an average of four or more nurses working per shift(36.2%), on average three shifts per week(36.2%) care for 3-4 patients(31.5%) (Table 4.2).The mean workload score of the participating nurses was determined as 37.35±8.14(min:11, max:55). Pediatric nurses had a workload above the medium level. The workload of male nurses was higher than that of female nurses. There was a significant difference in the mean scores of nurses' WS to age, working time,working time in the unit and profession,the number of shifts per week, working time as a nurse, current position, and working unit (p<0.05). The mean coronavirus anxiety score of the nurses participating in the research was determined as 4.41±4.92(min: 0, max:20). There was a significant difference in the mean CAS score according to the number of nurses working in the shift (p<0.05). There is a low positive and significant relationship between workload and coronavirus anxiety level, and when workload increases in pediatric nurses, the coronavirus anxiety level also increases. In line with the findings obtained from the study, the workload of pediatric nurses is affected by gender, age, working time, unit, position, shift, number of people working in the shift, weekly shift, and number of patients cared for. The number of people working in shifts also affects coronavirus anxiety. During the pandemic period, it is recommended to increase the number of nurses, reduce their working hours and shifts, and create psychological support units for nurses. Keywords: Anxiety, covid-19, pediatri, pediatric nursing, workload