Background: As a result of the coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, compliance with isolation measures has become challenging.
Objective: To evaluate the individual workload perception and compliance with isolation measures of nurses working in the emergency service and critical care unit during the COVID-19 outbreak.
Methods: This descriptive correlational study was carried out in the emergency service and critical care unit of a public hospital between April 20 and May 20, 2021. A total of 153 nurses working in the emergency service and critical care unit who agreed to participate in the study were included in the study.
Results: Nurses from a state hospital's emergency department and critical care unit (n = 153) were included in the study sample. The impression of overall individual workload by nurses and compliance with isolation (r = 0.153; p < 0.05) had a positive, weak, and significant relationship. The Isolation Measures Compliance Scale resulted in a mean score of 70.70±5.35. The mean score on the Individual Workload Scale for nurses was moderate (3.22±0.54).
Conclusion: The low perception of individual workload of nurses working in the emergency service and critical care unit during the COVID-19 pandemic increased the compliance with isolation measures.
Keywords: COVID-19; Emergency nurses; critical care nurses; isolation; pandemic; workload.