Introduction The novel coronavirus 2019 or COVID-19 pandemic has brought about a global public health crisis. Primary care (PC) nurses render first line care, or refer for more specialised services. Aim To investigate the preparedness of PC nurses for COVID-19 in the Western Cape. Setting The Western Cape province of South Africa. Methods We administered an online survey, with closed and open-ended questions, to 83 Stellenbosch University postgraduate PC nursing students and alumni working in the Western Cape, between 03 July and 01 September 2020. Results The results indicated that 43.3% of participants were confident about the infection, prevention, and control (IPC) training they received and 56.7% felt prepared to provide direct care to suspected cases of COVID-19. Primary care nurses were more comfortable to triage (78.3%) than to manage persons with COVID-19 (42.2%), indicating that they may not be functioning to the full capacity of their education and training. Adequate infrastructure was reported by less than a third of the participants (30.1%) and 59.1% reported that personal protective equipment (PPE) was always available. Primary care nurses needed support in coping with stress (57.8%) although few (14.5%) reported access to mental health services. Conclusion Primary care nurses were not prepared optimally for the COVID-19 pandemic. Challenges included adequate training, infrastructure, the availability of personal protective equipment, COVID-19 testing of health care workers and management support. Primary care nurses need comprehensive support to manage stress and anxiety.
【저자키워드】 COVID-19, primary care, Nurses, preparedness, Western Cape, 【초록키워드】 Personal protective equipment, Anxiety, Stress, COVID-19 pandemic, Infection, Novel coronavirus, South Africa, COVID-19 testing, management, challenge, PPE, Health care worker, Care, Nurse, mental health services, Support, global public health, participant, Administered, setting, Cape, Result, reported, indicated, less, Adequate, Stellenbosch University, with COVID-19, 【제목키워드】 South Africa, Care, Cape,