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Anxiety: The Major Challenges Faced by PACU Nurses During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Ying Su1*
1Department of Anesthesiology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
Corresponding Author: Ying Su
Address: Department of Anaesthesiology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, 37 Guo Xue St, Chengdu, Sichuan 610041, China.
Received date: 01 July 2025; Accepted date: 16 July 2025; Published date: 25 July 2025
Citation: Su Y. Anxiety: The Major Challenges Faced by PACU Nurses During the COVID-19 Pandemic. Asp Biomed Clin Case Rep. 2025 Jul 25;8(2):161-67.
Copyright © 2025 Su Y. This is an open-access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium provided the original work is properly cited.
Keywords: Post-Anesthesia Care Unit Nurses, Anxiety, The Depression -Anxiety - Stress Scale (DASS - 21), COVID-19 Pandemic, Occupational Stress, Perioperative Care
Abstract
Background: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID - 19) pandemic has been recognized by the World Health Organization (WHO) as a global public health emergency. Its sustained impact has exerted profound influence on the global healthcare system, manifested in aspects such as the strain on medical resources and the exacerbation of the workloads of healthcare professionals. As a pivotal component of perioperative nursing, the nursing team in the Post - Anesthesia Care Unit (PACU) is confronted with multiple pressures. Despite the fact that mental health issues triggered by COVID - 19 are prevalent among healthcare workers, the anxiety situation of PACU nurses has yet to receive adequate attention. Thus, this study is designed to analyze the current anxiety status of PACU nurses in China and the associated influencing factors, aiming to provide data - driven support for the optimization of anesthesia nursing strategies.
Methods: This study was a cross-sectional study conducted on PACU nurses from six Grade-III Class-A hospitals in Western China between May and June 2021. The anxiety status of the subjects was evaluated using the DASS-21. Statistical analyses were then performed to explore the inter-group differences. All statistical tests were two - tailed, with a significance level set at α = 0.05.
Results: According to our study, five nurses had mild anxiety, and two nurses had moderate anxiety. (1) Physical health: There are differences in the anxiety levels of PACU nurses under different states of physical health. (P=0.031). (2) Attitude to the prospect of PACU nurse: There are significant differences in anxiety levels among PACU nurses who hold different attitudes towards their career prospects in different working conditions. (P=0.026). (3) Hospital’s attention to PACU nurse: The anxiety levels of PACU nurses exhibit context-dependent variations based on hospitals' attention. (P=0.002). (4) Patient’s respect for PACU nurse: PACU nurses exhibit significant differences in anxiety levels depending on patients' degree of respect under clinical conditions. (P=0.000).
Conclusion: The results of our study suggest that anxiety is correlated with several modifiable factors, such as Attitude to the prospect of PACU nurses, physical health condition, Hospital’s attention to PACU nurse, Patient’s respect for PACU nurse. These findings contribute to the dissemination of adaptive strategies. These strategies can be implemented in the nursing practice of the Post - Anesthesia Care Unit (PACU) to resolve and mitigate the issues explored in this study.