Abstract
Background In March 2020, COVID-19 wards were established in hospitals in Denmark. Caring for patients with a contagious, and potentially lethal virus, made working in the COVID-19 ward particularly risky. This study seeks insight into the emotional responses produced by the nursing staff doing risky health care work at an acutely COVID-19 ward.
Aim To explore connections between risk and the collective production of emotions among nursing staff doing COVID19 risk work.
Methods Fieldwork in a COVID-19 ward at a hospital in Copenhagen, Denmark, including focus group interviews with nursing staff. Using the concept of the ‘emotion-risk-assemblage’ generated by Deborah Lupton (2013), we analyse how emotions are contextually produced and linked to institutional risk understandings.
Results The analysis shows how risk understanding in the Danish healthcare system is characterized as a resource risk that builds on effectively handling standardized needs in the population. However, this risk understanding creates health care services less adaptable and trigger affective dynamics among front-line staff with the responsibility to make solutions, however with little room for agency to do so. We question if it is only the pandemic that does not fit standards or if the healthcare professionals often experience having to deal with situations and patients that do not fit into the systems we have created and thereby, on a daily basis, go through emotional struggles due to having an economically efficient system.
Conclusion We find that work in the COVID-19 ward is based on an institutional order and hence, risk understandings are based on the categories of quality and efficiency practised and maintained by systems and technologies. When these systems and technologies cannot adapt to changes, they produce significant emotions of insecurity. Although these emotions are structurally produced, they are internalized as feelings of incompetence and shame.
Aim To explore connections between risk and the collective production of emotions among nursing staff doing COVID19 risk work.
Methods Fieldwork in a COVID-19 ward at a hospital in Copenhagen, Denmark, including focus group interviews with nursing staff. Using the concept of the ‘emotion-risk-assemblage’ generated by Deborah Lupton (2013), we analyse how emotions are contextually produced and linked to institutional risk understandings.
Results The analysis shows how risk understanding in the Danish healthcare system is characterized as a resource risk that builds on effectively handling standardized needs in the population. However, this risk understanding creates health care services less adaptable and trigger affective dynamics among front-line staff with the responsibility to make solutions, however with little room for agency to do so. We question if it is only the pandemic that does not fit standards or if the healthcare professionals often experience having to deal with situations and patients that do not fit into the systems we have created and thereby, on a daily basis, go through emotional struggles due to having an economically efficient system.
Conclusion We find that work in the COVID-19 ward is based on an institutional order and hence, risk understandings are based on the categories of quality and efficiency practised and maintained by systems and technologies. When these systems and technologies cannot adapt to changes, they produce significant emotions of insecurity. Although these emotions are structurally produced, they are internalized as feelings of incompetence and shame.
| Originalsprog | Engelsk |
|---|---|
| Publikationsdato | 2022 |
| Status | Udgivet - 2022 |
| Begivenhed | 30th Nordic Sociological Association Conference : Myths and Realities of the Nordic Welfare State - University of Iceland, Reykavik, Island Varighed: 10 aug. 2022 → 12 aug. 2022 Konferencens nummer: 30 https://nsa2022.is/ |
Konference
| Konference | 30th Nordic Sociological Association Conference |
|---|---|
| Nummer | 30 |
| Lokation | University of Iceland |
| Land/Område | Island |
| By | Reykavik |
| Periode | 10/08/2022 → 12/08/2022 |
| Andet | The Nordic countries have long been held up as ideal societies due to, for example, comparatively low levels of inequality, favorable health outcomes, strong welfare states, lack of political corruption and high levels of societal trust. Nonetheless, research has shown that the notion of Nordic societies as ideal may be somewhat overstated and perhaps sometimes unfounded.<br/>We invite conference participants to engage in a conversation about the myths and realities of the Nordic welfare state, asking questions such as: Are the Nordic countries truly the feminist paradise they are often depicted as? Are health inequalities really the least pronounced in the Nordic countries? Are Nordic societies inclusive to all immigrants? This broad theme intersects all areas of sociological concern, including inequality, gender, migration, health, crime, the environment, education, religion, politics, culture, or the economy.<br/>Our goal is to host an inspiring conference where scholars can both describe Nordic realities but also critically examine myths of Nordic excellence. |
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