ArticleIntensive & critical care nursing2022
The mental health impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Canadian critical care nurses.
Article in Intensive & critical care nursing, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 35 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
35 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 59 citations in OpenAlex.
- Causes and effects of hospital nursing shortages to consider potential feedback effects: an umbrella review.Human resources for health · 2025Pooled it
- Pooled it
- Post-traumatic stress in healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic: A systematic review and meta-analysis.Psychiatry research · 2022Pooled it
- Bolstering wellbeing and mitigating burnout in critical care: a mixed-methods exploration.Canadian journal of anaesthesia = Journal canadien d'anesthesie · 2026Article
- Instruments to measure nurses' intention-to-stay in the profession: A systematic literature review.International journal of nursing studies advances · 2026Review
- Exploring the Impact of COVID-19 on Acute Care Nurses: An Integrative Review.Journal of advanced nursing · 2026Review
- Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the Canadian healthcare workforce: a rapid evidence synthesis of key considerations, lessons learned, and promising practices to address the healthcare workforce crisis.Health research policy and systems · 2025Article
- Experiences of Moral Distress in Canadian Intensive Care Unit Professionals During and After the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Qualitative Exploratory Multiple Case Study in Ontario and Alberta, Canada.Journal of intensive care medicine · 2025Article
- Factors Associated with Intent to Leave and Burnout among Canadian Nurses Amidst the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Quantitative Analysis of the Survey on Health Care Workers' Experiences During the Pandemic.The Canadian journal of nursing research = Revue canadienne de recherche en sciences infirmieres · 2025Article
- Canadian Nurses' Psychological Health Assessment and Its Determinants During the Uncertain Context of the Early COVID-19 Pandemic: A Cross-Sectional Study.Policy, politics & nursing practice · 2025Article
- The Unseen Toll: Impact of COVID-19 on Professional Quality of Life of Healthcare Workers.Cureus · 2025Article
- Nurse-Related Complexity of Care Perceived by Critical Care Nurses: A Multicentre Qualitative Study.Nursing in critical care · 2025Article
- Examining Changes in Compassion Satisfaction, Burnout, Secondary Traumatic Stress and Work-Related Quality-of-Life of Rural Surgical and Obstetrical Nurses in British Columbia During the COVID-19 Pandemic.The Canadian journal of nursing research = Revue canadienne de recherche en sciences infirmieres · 2025Article
- Turnover intention among intensive care nurses and the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic: a scoping review.Human resources for health · 2025Article
- Nurses' and midwives' job satisfaction and retention during COVID-19: a scoping review.BMC nursing · 2025Article
- Nurse retention in peri- and post-COVID-19 work environments: a scoping review of factors, strategies and interventions.BMJ open · 2025Article
- Coping Power at the REACH School Network: A pilot feasibility study.Paediatrics & child health · 2024Article
- Factors contributing to health care worker turnover in intensive care units during the COVID-19 pandemic in Alberta, Canada: a qualitative descriptive interview study.Canadian journal of anaesthesia = Journal canadien d'anesthesie · 2024Article
- "The leadership shown by nurses gave me such a boost": health resources used by nurses who experienced COVID-19 pandemic stressors.International journal of qualitative studies on health and well-being · 2024Article
- Level of patient contact and Impact of Event scores among Canadian healthcare providers during the COVID-19 pandemic.BMC health services research · 2024Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectiveFocusing on Canadian critical care nurses (CCNs), the study objectives were to examine the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on: mental health, quality of work life, and intent to stay in their current positions. RESEARCH
designMixed-methods study using an online cross-sectional survey and integration of closed- and open-ended survey data.
settingCanadian CCNs working in an intensive care unit, high acuity unit, or intensive care step-down unit during the COVID-19 pandemic between May 2021 to June 2021.
main outcome measuresThe survey consisted of four instruments: (1) the impact of event scale - revised, (2) the depression, anxiety, and stress scale, (3) the professional quality of life scale, and (4) intent to turnover tool, as well as one optional open-ended question.
resultsFrom across Canada, 425 CCNs responded. The large majority reported symptoms of post traumatic stress disorder (74%), depression (70%), anxiety (57%), and stress (61%). All (100%) reported moderate to high burnout, 87% were suffering from signs of secondary traumatic stress, and 22% intended to quit their current employment. Qualitative analysis of written comments submitted by 147 (34.5%) of the respondents depicted an immense mental health toll on CCNs that stemmed from 1) failed leadership and 2) the traumatic nature of the work environment, that led to 3) a sense of disillusionment, defeat, and an intent to leave.
conclusionThe mental health toll of the pandemic has been significant for Canadian CCNs and highlights the urgent need for individual supports and systems level changes.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.