Healthcare professionals in COVID-19-intensive care units in Norway: Preparedness and working conditions: A cohort study

Abstract Objective To survey the healthcare professionals’ background and experiences from work with patients with COVID-19 in intensive care units (ICUs) during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in Norway. Design Observational cohort study. Setting COVID-ICUs in 27 hospitals across Norway. Participants Healthcare professionals (n=484): nurses (81%), medical doctors (9%) and leaders (10%), who responded to a secured, web-based questionnaire from 6 May 2020 to 15 July 2020. Primary and secondary measures Healthcare professionals’: (1) professional and psychological preparedness to start working in COVID-ICUs, (2) factors associated with high degree of preparedness and (3) experience of working conditions. Results The age of the respondents was 44.8±10 year (mean±SD), 78% were females, 92% had previous ICU working experience. A majority of the respondents reported professional (81%) and psychological (74%) preparedness for working in COVID-ICU. Factors significantly associated with high professional preparedness for working in COVID-19-ICU in a multivariate logistic model were previous ICU work experience (p<0.001) and participation in COVID-ICU simulation team training (p