Willingness to participate in front‐line work during the COVID‐19 pandemic: A cross‐sectional study of nurses from a province in South‐West China

Luo, Yunting; Feng, Xianqiong; Zheng, Mingyue; Zhang, Dan; Xiao, Hong; Li, Ning

AIM: To explore the current status of Chinese nurses’ willingness to work during the COVID‐19 pandemic and the factors that influence them. BACKGROUND: The demand for front‐line nurses continues to grow during the COVID‐19 pandemic, but their willingness varies significantly. Therefore, it is crucial to explore nurses’ willingness to report for front‐line work. METHODS: A cross‐sectional study of 1,310 nurses from six tertiary hospitals was conducted. The participants completed self‐administered online questionnaires. RESULTS: A total of 90.5% of nurses reported that they would like to voluntarily participate in front‐line work. Those with previous training, higher self‐efficacy scores, and lower perceived risk and self‐worth scores were more likely to participate in front‐line work, while nurses, who had 11–15 years of work experience and were worried about their family and the lack of family support, were less likely to be involved in front‐line work. CONCLUSION: This study found that the vast majority of nurses were willing to participate in front‐line work and affirmed the positive effects of previous infection prevention training, self‐efficacy and self‐worth. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING MANAGEMENT: This research emphasizes the necessity of infection prevention training and provides evidence for further emergency workforce deployment and incentives.