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Managing the COVID-19 Pandemic Among Community Nurses in Primary Care
Units in Thailand

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S. Vattanaamorn and W. Pruktarat 1

Faculty of Nursing, Srinakharin University, Thailand
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Background: During the COVID-19 pandemic (2021-2022), nurses in primary care units (PCU) took the
vital role in managing the COVID-19 pandemic because their engagement based on areas which
required collaboration across the disciplines in healthcare so as to care for individuals, families, and
communities. The findings were used to determine which management techniques were most
effective and could be used for the future emerging infectious diseases.

Objective: 1.Studying the role of nurses working in primary care units in managing the COVID-19
pandemic 2.Examining the factors predicting the management of COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods: This study was about cross-sectional descriptive research design with 395 nurses working in
Thailand’s sub-district health promotion hospitals (SHPH) as the purposive sample group. The hospitals
were located in six provinces including Chiang Mai, Nakhon Ratchasima, Chonburi, Ratchaburi, Samut
Prakan, and Songkhla where found the higher cumulative number of COVID-19 cases by geographical
regions. A survey questionnaire using google forms was distributed to collect data between March and May
in 2022. Standard multiple regression analysis was used for statistical analysis.

Results: The findings indicated that the overall management of the COVID-19 pandemic was at the
moderate level. The types of management styles consisting of health promotion, prevention, treatment,
and support coordination have been presented in each aspect at the moderate level as well. The
study factors predicting the overall management of COVID-19 pandemic included policies, community
participation, workplace atmosphere, and knowledge/practical skills which together accounted for 58.6%
(R2=.586, P value<.001).
Poster Presentation Abstracts

Conclusion: This study suggested that the effective policy setting, community participation,
a conducive working atmosphere, and sufficient knowledge/practical skills are essential for
managing the COVID-19 pandemic among nurses working in primary care units.

Keywords: COVID-19, community nurses, primary care units

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Correspondence: Waranuch Pruktarat, Faculty of Nursing, Srinakharin University, Thailand
E-mail: waranuch@g.swu.ac.th

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