Factors influencing nurses' intent to provide care involved in coronavirus disease 2019: Theory of planned behaviour perspectives

Aims and objectives To identify the factors influencing the intent to provide care among nurses involved in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) care. Background COVID‐19 was first reported in Wuhan, China, in 2019. In 2020, the World Health Organisation declared it a pandemic, leading to 5,827,104 deaths and 421,203,495 confirmed cases as of 19 February 2022. The high transmissibility of COVID‐19 has prolonged the pandemic for over 2 years, resulting in deleterious effects on nurses' physical and mental health. The fear of infection and isolation may lead to negative experiences and perceptions among COVID‐19 frontline nurses, which may ultimately degrade the quality of patient care. Thus, it is essential to identify factors influencing of nurses' intent to provide care. Design Cross‐sectional study. Methods Data were collected from 169 nurses involved in direct COVID‐19 care at a hospital designated for infectious disease care in Korea from August to September 2021 using an online questionnaire. STROBE checklist was followed. Results Nurses' intent to provide care significantly differed based on whether they lived with parents and had adequate availability of personal protection equipment. The correlation analysis indicated that the intent to provide care was significantly positively correlated with normative beliefs, control beliefs, attitude towards the behaviour, subjective norms and perceived behavioural control. Perceived behavioural control, control beliefs and attitude towards the behaviour were significant factors influencing nurses' intent to provide COVID‐19 care. Conclusion This study showed that nurses perceived behavioural control and positive behaviour towards providing COVID‐19 care fundamentally influenced their intent to provide care. Relevance to clinical practice In clinical practice, the safety and rights of individual nurses who participated in COVID‐19‐related patient care are promoted, and ultimately, the quality of patient care is improved. Furthermore, active support at the organisation and government level is needed to strengthen the capabilities necessary for nursing patients with infectious diseases.