WORK OF NURSES AND MEDICAL HOME HEALTHCARE TECHNICIANS DURING THE COVID 19 PANDEMIC

Pandemija COVID - 19 predstavlja velik izazov za cjelokupni zdravstveni sustav u Republici Hrvatskoj, kao i na svjetskoj razini. Neizostavnim se pokazalo zbrinjavanje bolesnika kroz djelatnosti zdravstvene njege u kući. Djelatnost je to koja u okviru primarne zdravstvene zaštite omogućuje kontinuirano, kvalitetno, sveobuhvatno i cjelovito zbrinjavanje svih osiguranih osoba unutar Hrvatskog zavoda za zdravstveno osiguranje. Zbrinjavanje kroz Privatne prakse i Ustanove za zdravstvenu njegu u kući, neovisno je li riječ o kroničnim bolesnicima ili pak COVID - 19 pozitivnim osobama otpuštenim na kućnu njegu. U navedenim djelatnostima zbrinjavanje bolesnika vrše kompetentne, medicinske sestre i medicinski tehničari ovlašteni za samostalno provođenje postupaka zdravstvene njege u kući. Cilj je provedenog istraživanja ukazati na osobitosti u radu s oboljelim osobama od COVID - 19 infekcije, ali i specifičnosti zbrinjavanja svih bolesnika za vrijeme pandemije COVID - 19 kroz djelatnosti zdravstvene njege u kući. Istraživanje je provedeno od lipnja do rujna 2021. godine. Sudjelovalo je 100 medicinskih sestara i medicinskih tehničara zaposlenih u djelatnostima zdravstvene njege u kući, a koji su tu djelatnost obavljali za vrijeme pandemije COVID - 19. U istraživanju je korištena anonimna anketa pripremljena za navedeno istraživanje i namijenjena isključivom medicinskim sestrama i medicinskim tehničarima zdravstvene njege u kući, a koji su tu djelatnost obavljali za vrijeme pandemije izazvane COVID - 19 infekcijom. Anketa sa 14 pitanja od kojih su neka imala potpitanja. Podaci dobiveni istraživanjem ukazuju kako je svega 35 % ispitanika preboljelo COVID - 19 infekcije, a samo je njih 16 % zaraženih na radnom mjestu. 67 % ispitanika cijepljeno je protiv infekcije COVID - 19. 74 % ispitanika na svojim je radnim mjestima zbrinjavalo COVID - 19 pozitivne bolesnike navodeći kako se (88 %) osjećaju dovoljno kompetentnim za takvo zbrinjavanje. Naglasak svakako treba staviti na podatak kako zbrinjavanje COVID - 19 pozitivnih bolesnika kod kuće predstavlja izazova medicinske sestre i medicinske tehničare zaposlene u djelatnostima zdravstvene njege u kući. Osim navedenog izazova, uočena je određena opasnost za osoblje (80 %) zdravstvene njege u kući, ali i dodatna zahtjevnost prilikom zbrinjavanja pozitivnih osoba kod kuće (84 %). Smanjenje dana hospitalizacije svakako je doprinijelo zahtjevnijem načinu zbrinjavanja bolesnika. Naglasak je neophodno staviti na činjenicu kako su medicinske sestre i medicinski tehničari (78 %) zaposleni u Privatnim praksama i Ustanovama za zdravstvenu njegu u kući, voljni se dodatno educirati o načinu provođenja zdravstvene njege u kući kod bolesnika oboljelih od COVID - 19 infekcije. Obzirom da kraj pandemije COVID – 19 nije predvidljiv, dodatna edukacija osoblja i sestrinska istraživanja uvelike će doprinijeti kvalitetnom zbrinjavanju bolesnika oboljelih od COVID - 19 infekcije kroz djelatnosti zdravstvene njege u kući.The COVID-19 pandemic poses a great challenge for the healthcare system as a whole for the world and for Croatia. Home health care has been proven significant for battling the pandemic. Homehealth care is a profession which through primary health care makes continual, quality and comprehensive care possible for all those insured by the Croatian Health Insurance Fund . For health care through Private practice or an Institution for home health care, regardless if it is chronically ill patients or patients who are COVID - 19 positive and have been released for home health care. In the aforementioned institutions and practices, competent nurses and medical technicians take care of patients who were authorized for independent home health care procedures. The aim of this conducted research was to point out the peculiarities while working with COVID - 19 patients, but also the specifics of taking care of all patients, including the chronically ill ones, during the pandemic through home health care. Research was conducted from June to September 2021, a survey method was used for 100 nurses and medical technicians employed in home health care institutions, and who were practicing that profession at the time of the COVID - 19 pandemic. The survey was anonymous and had 14 questions. The data received from the research show that 35% of participants had recovered from a COVID - 19 infection while only 16% were infected at the workplace. 67% of participants were vaccinated against COVID - 19, 74% of them had at some point cared for a COVID-19 positive patient at their workplace, while 88% felt competent enough to take care for someone infected with the virus. What should be emphasized is that taking care of COVID - 19 positive patients presents a challenge for nurses in hospitals and nurses in home health care. Other than the challenging nature of their work during the pandemic, we were able to observe a certain amount of danger for the staff (80%) of home health care institutions, but also the more demanding task of taking care of someone at their home rather than the hospital (84%). Lowering the amount of days a person was hospitalized (unrelated to COVID - 19) unquestionably contributed to the added demand of taking care of patients. It is important to highlight the fact that nurses and medical technicians (78%) employed by Private practices and Institutions for home health care were willing to educate themselves further on how to better take care of COVID - 19 positive patients. Due to the fact that we cannot predict the development or the end of the COVID - 19 pandemic, better education of health care workers will greatly contribute to a quality care of patients infected by COVID-19 through home health care