Background The global nursing shortages exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic necessitated a drastic reorganization in nursing practices. Work routines, the composition of teams and subsequently mundane nursing practices were all altered to sustain the accessibility and quality of care. These dramatic changes demanded a reshaping of the nurses’ work environment. The aim of this study was to explore how nurses reshaped their work environment in the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods A descriptive study comprising 26 semi-structured interviews conducted in a large Dutch teaching hospital between June and September 2020. Participants were nurses (including intensive care unit nurses), outpatient clinic assistants, nurse managers, and management (including one member of the Nurse Practice Council). The interviews were analysed with open, axial, and selective coding. Results We identified five themes: 1) the Nursing Staff Deployment Plan created new micro-teams with complementary roles to meet the care needs of COVID-19 infected patients; 2) nurse-led adaptations effectively managed the increased workload, thereby ensuring the quality of care; 3) continuous professional development ensured adequate competence levels for all roles; 4) interprofessional collaboration resulted in experienced solidarity, a positive atmosphere, and increased autonomy for nurses; and, 5) supportive managers reduced nurses’ stress and improved work conditions. Conclusions This study showed that nurses positively reshaped their work environment during the COVID-19 pandemic. They contributed to innovative solutions in an environment of equal interprofessional collaboration, which led to greater respect for their knowledge and competencies, enhanced their autonomy and improved management support.
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Background The global nursing shortages exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic necessitated a drastic reorganization in nursing practices. Work routines, the composition of teams and subsequently mundane nursing practices were all altered to sustain the accessibility and quality of care. These dramatic changes demanded a reshaping of the nurses’ work environment. The aim of this study was to explore how nurses reshaped their work environment in the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods A descriptive study comprising 26 semi-structured interviews conducted in a large Dutch teaching hospital between June and September 2020. Participants were nurses (including intensive care unit nurses), outpatient clinic assistants, nurse managers, and management (including one member of the Nurse Practice Council). The interviews were analysed with open, axial, and selective coding. Results We identified five themes: 1) the Nursing Staff Deployment Plan created new micro-teams with complementary roles to meet the care needs of COVID-19 infected patients; 2) nurse-led adaptations effectively managed the increased workload, thereby ensuring the quality of care; 3) continuous professional development ensured adequate competence levels for all roles; 4) interprofessional collaboration resulted in experienced solidarity, a positive atmosphere, and increased autonomy for nurses; and, 5) supportive managers reduced nurses’ stress and improved work conditions. Conclusions This study showed that nurses positively reshaped their work environment during the COVID-19 pandemic. They contributed to innovative solutions in an environment of equal interprofessional collaboration, which led to greater respect for their knowledge and competencies, enhanced their autonomy and improved management support.
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While there is extensive research on how Russian interference – in particular Russian disinformation operation – has played out in different European countries, indications of Russian interference directly targeting EU, its institutions or policies received little attention. This paper argues why there is good reason to assume that the EU, its institutions and its policies are an ideal a target for authoritarian regimes to exploit. It then explores in what ways, if any, Russian disinformation campaigning targeted EU institutions and their policies during the political and electoral campaigns leading up to the European Parliament (EP) elections of May 2019. In this context disinformation campaigning in terms of both network flows and contents (‘narratives’) have been examined, on the basis of a review of various reports identifying Russian interference and disinformation and of analyses of overall disinformation flows in Europe and the use of a database monitoring occurrences of disinformation.
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Tijdens de pandemie heeft het publiek meer dan ooit behoefte aan informatie. Tegelijkertijd wordt er zoveel informatie verspreid, dat het WHO zelfs spreekt van een infodemic. De overvloed van informatie en ruime keuze van nieuwsmedia kan leiden tot het (tijdelijk) vermijden van (bepaalde) nieuwsmedia of berichtgeving. Geldt dit ook tijdens de Covid-19 crisis? Mijden mensen het nieuws meer? Doel Dit onderzoek heeft als doel om na te gaan hoe de nieuwsconsumptie tijdens de eerste golf van de Covid-19 crisis is verlopen. Resultaten We zien dat in het begin van de pandemie het publiek veel behoefte had aan informatie. Niet alleen gingen ze vaker nieuws consumeren (61%) dan voorheen, ook deden ze dit bij meer verschillende nieuwsbronnen (51%). Tegelijkertijd zien we dat een grote groep (53%) aan gaf afstand of pauze te nemen van nieuws over Covid-19. Naarmate ze minder gingen consumeren verder in de crisis, neemt deze behoefte voor een pauze ook af (naar 44% in juni). Wel zien we dat hoe langer de crisis voortduurde méér mensen het nieuws in het geheel gingen vermijden. De voornaamste reden hiervoor is dat men het gevoel had overladen te worden met informatie (59%). Looptijd 01 april 2020 - 01 november 2020 Aanpak In dit onderzoek keken we naar de nieuwsconsumptie van het Nederlandse publiek in de eerste vier maanden van de Covid-19 crisis. Op drie momenten hebben we een panelsurvey uitgezet (onder een representatieve steekproef van +/- 1500 mensen): begin april, een paar weken na de lock-down, begin mei toen de scholen weer opengingen en halverwege juni, toen de horeca weer open was. Meer weten? Lees de volgende blog: Nieuwsgebruik en mijding tijdens de infodemic Luister naar de podcast van Trajectum: https://trajectum.hu.nl/podcast-je-hoort-t-bij-trajectum/ Kijk naar het debat van HU podium waarin lector Yael de Haan in gesprek gaat met adjunct- hoofdredacteur AD, Paul van den Bosch, ombudsman van de publieke omroepen Margo Smit, hoofdredacteur van Rijnmond Alex Beishuizen
