“You do it for the patient”: a qualitative analysis of changes to primary care nurses’ workplace demands and resources during the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada
IntroductionPrimary care in Canada was an essential component of the COVID-19 pandemic response, as well as continued provision of routine care. Yet, primary care settings were inadequately supported during the pandemic, leaving clinicians feeling vulnerable and overwhelmed. Existing pandemic resear...
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2025-06-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Health Services |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/frhs.2025.1557654/full |
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| author | Sarah Spencer Lindsay Hedden Julia Lukewich Emily Gard Marshall Maria Mathews Samina Idrees Jennifer E. Isenor Ruth Martin-Misener Leslie Meredith Crystal Vaughan Dana Ryan Dana Ryan |
| author_facet | Sarah Spencer Lindsay Hedden Julia Lukewich Emily Gard Marshall Maria Mathews Samina Idrees Jennifer E. Isenor Ruth Martin-Misener Leslie Meredith Crystal Vaughan Dana Ryan Dana Ryan |
| author_sort | Sarah Spencer |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | IntroductionPrimary care in Canada was an essential component of the COVID-19 pandemic response, as well as continued provision of routine care. Yet, primary care settings were inadequately supported during the pandemic, leaving clinicians feeling vulnerable and overwhelmed. Existing pandemic research has focused on the health workforce broadly or those working in acute care settings. Accordingly, we sought to understand the personal and professional experiences of nurses working in primary care settings in Canada during the COVID-19 pandemic to inform future pandemic responses and health workforce planning that account for primary care nurses’ mental and physical needs.MethodsWe conducted semi-structured interviews with licensed and registered practical nurses, registered nurses, and nurse practitioners working in primary care in four Canadian provinces: British Columbia, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, and Ontario. Interviews were recorded, transcribed, and thematically analyzed.ResultsWe interviewed 76 primary care nurses about their pandemic experiences. Using the National Academy of Medicine's systems model of clinician burnout and professional wellbeing, we categorized participants’ experiences according to their job demands and job resources. These data describe how COVID-19 altered primary care nurses’ professional experiences across a variety of areas, often with implications for their wellbeing.DiscussionPrior to the pandemic, primary care nurses could rely on their job resources to protect against the demands they regularly encounter; however, many of these resources were negatively affected by the pandemic. Improved pandemic preparedness, including primary care-specific supports to promote physical and psychological safety, workflow efficiency, worker rest and recovery, and preservation of primary care capacity are needed to uphold primary care nurse wellbeing during a pandemic or other extended health emergencies. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-0e176dbd4e234c5e915b7c0ee9e7f1c6 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2813-0146 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-06-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Health Services |
| spelling | doaj-art-0e176dbd4e234c5e915b7c0ee9e7f1c62025-08-20T03:30:36ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Health Services2813-01462025-06-01510.3389/frhs.2025.15576541557654“You do it for the patient”: a qualitative analysis of changes to primary care nurses’ workplace demands and resources during the COVID-19 pandemic in CanadaSarah Spencer0Lindsay Hedden1Julia Lukewich2Emily Gard Marshall3Maria Mathews4Samina Idrees5Jennifer E. Isenor6Ruth Martin-Misener7Leslie Meredith8Crystal Vaughan9Dana Ryan10Dana Ryan11Faculty of Health Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC, CanadaFaculty of Health Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC, CanadaFaculty of Nursing, Memorial University, St. John’s, NL, CanadaDepartment of Family Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, CanadaDepartment of Family Medicine, Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, Western University, London, ON, CanadaDepartment of Family Medicine, Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, Western University, London, ON, CanadaCollege of Pharmacy, Faculty of Health, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, CanadaSchool of Nursing, Faculty of Health, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, CanadaDepartment of Family Medicine, Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, Western University, London, ON, CanadaFaculty of Nursing, Memorial University, St. John’s, NL, CanadaFaculty of Nursing, Memorial University, St. John’s, NL, CanadaDepartment of Family Medicine, Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, Western University, London, ON, CanadaIntroductionPrimary care in Canada was an essential component of the COVID-19 pandemic response, as well as continued provision of routine care. Yet, primary care settings were inadequately supported during the pandemic, leaving clinicians feeling vulnerable and overwhelmed. Existing pandemic research has focused on the health workforce broadly or those working in acute care settings. Accordingly, we sought to understand the personal and professional experiences of nurses working in primary care settings in Canada during the COVID-19 pandemic to inform future pandemic responses and health workforce planning that account for primary care nurses’ mental and physical needs.MethodsWe conducted semi-structured interviews with licensed and registered practical nurses, registered nurses, and nurse practitioners working in primary care in four Canadian provinces: British Columbia, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, and Ontario. Interviews were recorded, transcribed, and thematically analyzed.ResultsWe interviewed 76 primary care nurses about their pandemic experiences. Using the National Academy of Medicine's systems model of clinician burnout and professional wellbeing, we categorized participants’ experiences according to their job demands and job resources. These data describe how COVID-19 altered primary care nurses’ professional experiences across a variety of areas, often with implications for their wellbeing.DiscussionPrior to the pandemic, primary care nurses could rely on their job resources to protect against the demands they regularly encounter; however, many of these resources were negatively affected by the pandemic. Improved pandemic preparedness, including primary care-specific supports to promote physical and psychological safety, workflow efficiency, worker rest and recovery, and preservation of primary care capacity are needed to uphold primary care nurse wellbeing during a pandemic or other extended health emergencies.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/frhs.2025.1557654/fullprimary carenursesCanadapandemicburnoutwellbeing |
| spellingShingle | Sarah Spencer Lindsay Hedden Julia Lukewich Emily Gard Marshall Maria Mathews Samina Idrees Jennifer E. Isenor Ruth Martin-Misener Leslie Meredith Crystal Vaughan Dana Ryan Dana Ryan “You do it for the patient”: a qualitative analysis of changes to primary care nurses’ workplace demands and resources during the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada Frontiers in Health Services primary care nurses Canada pandemic burnout wellbeing |
| title | “You do it for the patient”: a qualitative analysis of changes to primary care nurses’ workplace demands and resources during the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada |
| title_full | “You do it for the patient”: a qualitative analysis of changes to primary care nurses’ workplace demands and resources during the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada |
| title_fullStr | “You do it for the patient”: a qualitative analysis of changes to primary care nurses’ workplace demands and resources during the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada |
| title_full_unstemmed | “You do it for the patient”: a qualitative analysis of changes to primary care nurses’ workplace demands and resources during the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada |
| title_short | “You do it for the patient”: a qualitative analysis of changes to primary care nurses’ workplace demands and resources during the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada |
| title_sort | you do it for the patient a qualitative analysis of changes to primary care nurses workplace demands and resources during the covid 19 pandemic in canada |
| topic | primary care nurses Canada pandemic burnout wellbeing |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/frhs.2025.1557654/full |
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