The Perspective View of Nurses in Ramallah Complex Hospital regards the Impact of October,7 War on Professional Duties, Economic Status, Mental and Social Wellbeing
الكلمات المفتاحية:
Perception, Nurses, Ramallah Medical Complex Hospital, October 7th war, Professional duties, Mental health, social well-being, Challenges, Financial hardships, Job security, stress
الملخص
The October 7, 2023, conflict between Israel and Hamas heavily impacted healthcare in the West Bank, particularly affecting nurses at Ramallah Medical Complex. They faced challenges such as increased patient loads, resource shortages, and safety threats, leading to physical and psychological distress. There is limited research on the war's effect on their well-being and professional duties. The study aims to explore nurses' perspectives on how the conflict impacted their professional roles, economic status, mental health, and social well-being, especially regarding physical and emotional safety concerns in the conflict zone. A qualitative phenomenological approach was used to explore the experiences of 50 nurses at Ramallah Medical Complex selected purposefully. Data were collected via focus groups for 40 staff and practical nurses and in -depth interviews for nursing directors, analyzed using inductive thematic analysis with the help of NVivo software for sorting the data. Ethical approval was obtained, and all participants signed informed consent. Two major themes were explored that are: (i)nursing working conditions’ hindrances and (ii) family and personal life disruptions. The study emphasized the need for institutional support. Nurses reported increased workloads, resource limitations, financial stress, and safety threats, leading to psychological distress and burnout. The conflict highlighted the vital role of nurses but also the need for better support systems. Coping mechanisms included peer support, and personal resilience are emphasized as a helpful strategy. Improving nurses' mental health, job security, and working conditions, along with providing stabilization points and training programs for future crises are recommended.
المراجع
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25. Omer, A. T., Ali, E. M., Elhassan, M. E., Ibrahim, S. A., & Ahmed, Y. S. (2024). Medical education challenges during the war crisis in Sudan: a cross-sectional study, 2023–2024. BMC Medical Education, 24(1).1-3. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-024-06358-2
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30. Palestinian Ministry of Health. (2025, January 9). التقرير اليومي لآثار العدوان الإسرائيلي على فلسطين منذ 7 اكتوبر 2023 وحتى 6 كانون ثاني 2025 [Daily report on the effects of the Israeli aggression on Palestine from October 7, 2023, to January 6, 2025]. Retrieved from: https://site.moh.ps/index/ArticleView/ArticleId/7220/Language/ar
31. Qayumi, K., et al. (2024). Enhancing medical training in conflict zones and remote areas through innovation: introducing the Canadian Virtual Medical University Initiative. EClinicalMedicine, 76, 102854. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eclinm.2024.102854
32. Rahama, E et al. (2025). Occupational violence against nursing staff in the surgical wards of Murzuq locality hospitals, Libya (2024). BMC Nursing,24(222),1-12. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12912-025-02870-y
33. Scannell-Desch, E., & Doherty, M. E. (2013). The lived experience of nurse-parents deployed to war. The American Journal of Maternal/Child Nursing, 38, 28–33. https://doi.org/10.1097/NMC.0b013 e3182 6187b7
34. Shamia, N. A., Thabet, A. A. M., & Vostanis, P. (2015). Exposure to war traumatic experiences, post-traumatic stress disorder and post-traumatic growth among nurses in Gaza. Journal of Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing, (22), 749–755. https://doi.org/10.1111/jpm.12264
35. Takoutsing, B. D., Găman, M.A., Puyana, J. C., & Bonilla-Escobar, F. J. (2023). The Silent Casualties: War’s Impact on Medical Students and Medical Education. International Journal of Medical Students, 11(4), 254–258. https://doi.org/10.5195/ijms.2023.2476
36. Tarnas, M et al. (2024). Exploring relationships between conflict intensity, forced displacement, and healthcare attacks: a retrospective analysis from Syria, 2016–2022. Conflict and Health,18(70),1-10. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13031-024-00630-4
37. World Health Organization. (2023). Health impacts of the Israel-Palestine conflict: A report on healthcare infrastructure damage and medical personnel casualties. World Health Organization Report.
38. Zasiekina, L. & Martyniuk, A. (2025). War-related continuous traumatic stress as a potential mediator of associations between moral distress and professional quality of life in nurses: a cross-sectional study in Ukraine. BMC Nursing, 24(16),1-8. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12912-024-02668-4
2. Abduh, F., & Yassin, M. (2023). Challenges and resilience of healthcare workers in Palestine during armed conflicts: A case study of the West Bank. Journal of Conflict Resolution and Health, 19(2), 134-148.
3. Ahmed, S. (2024). The pillars of trustworthiness in qualitative research. Journal of Medicine, Surgery, and Public Health, 2, 100051. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.glmedi.2024.100051
4. Asi Y, Mills D, Greenough PG, Kunichoff D, Khan S, Hoek JVD, et al. (2024). Nowhere and no one is safe: spatial analysis of damage to critical civilian infrastructure in the Gaza Strip during the first phase of the Israeli military campaign, 7 October to 22 November 2023. Confl Health,18(1),1-24.
5. Ataullahjan, A., Gaffey, M.F., Sami, S., Singh, N.S., Tappis, H., Black, R.E., et al. (2020). Investigating the delivery of health and nutrition interventions for women and children in conflict settings: a collection of case studies from the BRANCH Consortium. Conflict Health 14, 29.
6. Barnett-Vanes, A., Hassounah, S., Shawki, M., Ismail, O. A., Fung, C., Kedia, T., Rawaf, S., & Majeed, A. (2016). Impact of conflict on medical education: A cross-sectional survey of students and institutions in Iraq. BMJ Open, 6(2). https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2015-010460
7. Bdaiwi, Y., Sabouni, A., Patel, P., Ekzayez, A., Alchalati, S., Abdrabbuh, O., Abbara, A., & Glogowska, M. (2023). Impact of armed conflict on health professionals’ education and training in Syria: a systematic review. BMJ Open, 13(7), 1–10. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2022-064851
8. Bhardwaj, R. (2022). Nursing in the War crisis: A narrative review. International Journal of Interdisciplinary and Multidisciplinary Studies (IJIMS), 9(2), 1–4. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.8171819
9. Conlon, L., Wiechula, R., & Garlick, A. (2019). Hermeneutic phenomenological study of military nursing officers. Nursing Research, 68, 267–274. https://doi.org/10.1097/NNR.00000 00000 000342
10. Creswell, J. &. Clark, V. (2017). Differing perspectives on mixed methods research. Journal of Mixed Methods Research, 1(4), 303-308.
11. Elliott, B. (2015). Military nurses' experiences returning from war. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 71, 1066–1075. https://doi.org/10.1111/jan.12588
12. Elnakib, S., Elaraby, S., Othman, F., BaSaleem, H., Abdulghani AlShawafi, N. A., Saleh Al-Gawfi, I. A., Shafique, F., Al-Kubati, E., Rafique, N., & Tappis, H. (2021). Providing care under extreme adversity: The impact of the Yemen conflict on the personal and professional lives of health workers. Social Science and Medicine, 272(113751),1-10. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2021.113751
13. European Union. (2022). Towards a resilient health system in Libya. Development and International Cooperation Instrument (NDICI-Global Europe), 110(2) ,1-19.
14. Fardousi N, Douedari Y, &Howard N. (2019). Healthcare under siege: a qualitative study of health-worker responses to targeting and besiegement in Syria. BMJ Open,9(9), e02965.
15. Fink, A & Milbrath, G. (2023). A concept analysis of nurses in conflicts after World War II. J Adv Nurs,79,31–47. DOI: 10.1111/jan.15454
16. Footer, K.H.A., Clouse, E., Rayes, D., Sahloul, Z., &Rubenstein, L.S. (2018). Qualitative accounts from Syrian health professionals regarding violations of the right to health, including the use of chemical weapons, in opposition-held Syria. BMJ Open,8, e021096.
17. Gostin, LO., &Rubenstein, LS. (2022). Attacks on Healthcare in the War in Ukraine: International law and the need for accountability. JAMA,327(16),1541-2.
18. Insecurity Insight. (2025, March 12). Attacks on health care in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territory (19 February - 04 March 2025). UN OCHA. Retrieved from: https://reliefweb.int/report/occupied-palestinian-territory/attacks-health-care-israel-and-occupied-palestinian-territory-19-february-04-march-2025
19. Kann, M. (2025). Nursing Practice and Education in Yemen and Its Impact During War. Indonesian Contemporary Nursing Journal, 9(2), 91-93
20. Khamis, V. (2016). Psychological effects of war on healthcare workers in conflict zones. International Journal of Mental Health, 28(3), 245-259.
21. Korkmaz, A., & Baykal, Ü. (2024). Healthcare delivery in the shadow of war: The experiences of Turkish nurses providing care to Syrian asylum-seekers. https://doi.org/10.1111/imig.13265
22. Larkin, M. (2020). Phenomenological methods for qualitative research: Exploring lived experience. Journal of Qualitative Methods, 15(4), 349-360. https://doi.org/10.1177/1609406920905320
23. Lindgren, B. M., Lundman, B., & Graneheim, U. H. (2020). Abstraction and interpretation during the qualitative content analysis process. International journal of nursing studies, 108, 103632. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijnurstu.2020.103632
24. Médecins Sans Frontières. (2025, January 7). Strikes, raids and incursions: Over a year of relentless attacks on healthcare in Palestine. Médecins Sans Frontières. https://www.msf.org/strikes-raids-and-incursions-year-relentless-attacks-healthcare-palestine/
25. Omer, A. T., Ali, E. M., Elhassan, M. E., Ibrahim, S. A., & Ahmed, Y. S. (2024). Medical education challenges during the war crisis in Sudan: a cross-sectional study, 2023–2024. BMC Medical Education, 24(1).1-3. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-024-06358-2
26. Palestine Children's Relief Fund. (n.d.). PCRF starts building new pediatric ICU in Ramallah. Retrieved March 16, 2025, from https://www.pcrf.net/news/pcrf-starts-building-new-pediatruc-icu-in-ramallah.html
27. Palestinian Economic Council for Development and Reconstruction. (n.d.). Palestinian Medical Complex. Retrieved March 16, 2025, from https://www.pecdar.ps/en/article/776/Palestinian-Medical-Complex
28. Palestine Medical Complex. (n.d.). In Petit Futé. Retrieved March 16, 2025, from https://www.petitfute.com/v37608-ramallah/c1172-pense-fute-services/c1136-sante/c1137-lieu-de-soins/c857-hopital/443486-palestinian-medical-complex-pmc.html
29. Palestinian Ministry of Health. (2023). Impact of the October 7, 2023, war on healthcare infrastructure and medical personnel in the West Bank. Ministry of Health of Palestine.
30. Palestinian Ministry of Health. (2025, January 9). التقرير اليومي لآثار العدوان الإسرائيلي على فلسطين منذ 7 اكتوبر 2023 وحتى 6 كانون ثاني 2025 [Daily report on the effects of the Israeli aggression on Palestine from October 7, 2023, to January 6, 2025]. Retrieved from: https://site.moh.ps/index/ArticleView/ArticleId/7220/Language/ar
31. Qayumi, K., et al. (2024). Enhancing medical training in conflict zones and remote areas through innovation: introducing the Canadian Virtual Medical University Initiative. EClinicalMedicine, 76, 102854. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eclinm.2024.102854
32. Rahama, E et al. (2025). Occupational violence against nursing staff in the surgical wards of Murzuq locality hospitals, Libya (2024). BMC Nursing,24(222),1-12. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12912-025-02870-y
33. Scannell-Desch, E., & Doherty, M. E. (2013). The lived experience of nurse-parents deployed to war. The American Journal of Maternal/Child Nursing, 38, 28–33. https://doi.org/10.1097/NMC.0b013 e3182 6187b7
34. Shamia, N. A., Thabet, A. A. M., & Vostanis, P. (2015). Exposure to war traumatic experiences, post-traumatic stress disorder and post-traumatic growth among nurses in Gaza. Journal of Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing, (22), 749–755. https://doi.org/10.1111/jpm.12264
35. Takoutsing, B. D., Găman, M.A., Puyana, J. C., & Bonilla-Escobar, F. J. (2023). The Silent Casualties: War’s Impact on Medical Students and Medical Education. International Journal of Medical Students, 11(4), 254–258. https://doi.org/10.5195/ijms.2023.2476
36. Tarnas, M et al. (2024). Exploring relationships between conflict intensity, forced displacement, and healthcare attacks: a retrospective analysis from Syria, 2016–2022. Conflict and Health,18(70),1-10. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13031-024-00630-4
37. World Health Organization. (2023). Health impacts of the Israel-Palestine conflict: A report on healthcare infrastructure damage and medical personnel casualties. World Health Organization Report.
38. Zasiekina, L. & Martyniuk, A. (2025). War-related continuous traumatic stress as a potential mediator of associations between moral distress and professional quality of life in nurses: a cross-sectional study in Ukraine. BMC Nursing, 24(16),1-8. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12912-024-02668-4
منشور
2025-04-23
كيفية الاقتباس
Fatemah Yaser Mahmoud Abu Abed, & Dr. Bothina Basyoni Elsayed Etewa. (2025). The Perspective View of Nurses in Ramallah Complex Hospital regards the Impact of October,7 War on Professional Duties, Economic Status, Mental and Social Wellbeing. Journal of Arts, Literature, Humanities and Social Sciences, (119), 392-412. https://doi.org/10.33193/JALHSS.119.2025.1405
إصدار
القسم
المقالات
الحقوق الفكرية (c) 2025 Fatemah Yaser Mahmoud Abu Abed , Dr. Bothina Basyoni Elsayed Etewa
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