Frontline clinician concerns during the COVID-19 pandemic: A qualitative inquiry (original) (raw)
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Psychological demands of health professionals in the initial phase of the COVID-19 pandemic
Psicologia, Reflexão e Crítica : revista semestral do Departamento de Psicologia da UFRGS, 2022
Recent literature emphasizes how the specific stressors of the COVID-19 outbreak affect the general population and frontline professionals, including those conducting support or backup activities in health units, which can lead to vicarious traumatization. Vicarious traumatization has been used to describe negative emotional reactions in mental health professionals who assist or treat victims of traumatic events. Thus, the aim of this article is to report the actions used in the face of the psychological demands of professionals in a hospital, who were not on the frontline of COVID-19. We collected their sociodemographic information and checked the psychological impact using the depression, anxiety, and stress scale (DASS-21), which was followed by a psychoeducational program (topics related to COVID-19 control and prevention), and individual psychological care for the most severe cases. A total of 118 professionals participated in this study; they were between 20 and 67 years old. ...
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
This study aimed to develop empirically grounded recommendations and a coherent model of psychological care derived from the experiences and psychological care needs of COVID-19 frontline doctors, using semi-structured interviews and thematic analysis. Participants were UK frontline doctors specialising in Emergency Medicine, Anaesthetics, or Intensive Care (n = 31) purposively sampled for maximum variation on gender, specialty, ethnicity, and trauma-related distress; most worked in ICU during the pandemic (71%). Four themes were derived: (1) ‘coping strategies’, participants used many, including exercise, mindfulness, and “wait until it gets really bad”; (2) ‘sources of support’, participants valued embedded psychological support, digital services, and informal conversations with colleagues or family, though there was little opportunity; (3) ‘organisational influences on wellbeing’, participants reported a love–hate relationship for concepts like ‘wellbeing’, seen as important but ...
Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, 2022
Objective: This qualitative study included a sample of health care workers (HCWs) at a tertiary care center providing direct care to patients with COVID-19 to explore experiences and perceptions regarding care delivery during the COVID-19 pandemic as well as factors that helped HCWs cope with the challenges of the pandemic. Methods: Grounded theory methodology was used to conduct virtual focus groups with a semistructured interview guide May to June 2020. Results: We identified major themes related to (1) HCWs' emotions during the pandemic, (2) the perceived triggers of these feelings, (3) organizational factors that made HCWs feel more supported and appreciated, and (4) personal factors that helped HCWs cope with the pandemic. Conclusion: Results highlighted the stress and challenges associated with exposure to SARS-CoV-2. The findings can help inform interventions to support HCWs during pandemics and other crises.
British Journal of Healthcare Management, 2021
Background/Aims Healthcare workers have been affected by the physical and psychological consequences of working during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study explored the effects of the pandemic on the psychological wellbeing of UK healthcare workers, as well as the coping mechanisms used and the workplace support that they found helpful. Methods A self-administered questionnaire was distributed to healthcare workers across various settings, including primary care, community services, hospital settings and specialist or tertiary service settings. A convenience sample was used to select the participants. The responses were collected for 1 month at the height of the first wave of COVID-19 in the UK (10 April 2020-10 May 2020). Results were collated and analysed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences software. Results Responses to the questionnaire showed the negative emotional, behavioural and cognitive impact of the pandemic on staff, with many experiencing issues such as anxiety, anger, disrupted sleep and worries about contracting the virus. A concerning number also reported symptoms of severe psychological distress, including depersonalisation, derealisation, self-harm and suicidal thoughts. Practical coping mechanisms were generally preferred. Older, male staff were significantly less likely to reach out for support than their younger and female counterparts. Respondents also expressed a preference for practical support from their employer, such as more managerial support at work, time off and financial incentives. Conclusions The psychological wellbeing of healthcare staff in the UK urgently needs addressing. The results suggest that practical workplace support strategies, such as increased time off and better communication between staff and management, would be most helpful. Future research should focus on implementing these strategies and targeting at-risk demographic groups.
BMJ Open
ObjectivesThe current global health crisis of the COVID-19 pandemic has drastically affected the whole population, but healthcare workers are particularly exposed to high levels of physical and mental stress. This enormous burden requires both the continuous monitoring of their health conditions and research into various protective factors.DesignCross-sectional surveys.Setting and participantsSelf-administered questionnaires were constructed assessing COVID-19-related worries of health workers in Hungary. The surveys were conducted during two consecutive waves of the COVID-19 pandemic (N-first wave=376, N-second wave=406), between 17 July 2020 and 31 December 2020.Primary and secondary outcome measuresCOVID-19-related worry, well-being and distress levels of healthcare workers. We also tested whether psychological resilience mediates the association of worry with well-being and distress. Multiple linear regression analyses were performed.ResultsThe results indicated that healthcare ...
2021
Aims and objectives: This study aimed to examine the psychosocial impact and identify risk factors for poor psychosocial outcomes in healthcare professionals during the Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic in Cyprus. Background: Healthcare professionals are in the forefront of the COVID-19 pandemic facing an unprecedented global health crisis, which can have consequences on their psychosocial health. There is a need to identify risk factors for poor psychosocial outcomes to inform the design of tailored psychological interventions. Design: Cross-sectional online study. Methods: A total of 1071 healthcare professionals completed self-report questionnaires. Measures included sociodemographic information, COVID-19- related characteristics, quality of life (Brief World Health Organization Quality of Life; WHOQOL-Bref), anxiety (Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7; GAD-7), depression (Patient Health Questionnaire-8; PHQ-8), occupational burnout (Copenhagen Burnout Inventory; CBI), and coping (Brief Coping Orientation to Problems Experienced; Brief COPE). This article follows the STROBE reporting guidelines. Results: The prevalence of moderate to severe anxiety and clinically significant depression was 27.6% and 26.8%, respectively. Significant risk factors for poor psychological outcomes included being female, being a nurse or doctor (vs non-medical professional), working in frontline units (inpatient, intensive care), perceptions of inadequate workplace preparation to deal with the pandemic, and using avoidance coping. Depression and occupational burnout were significant risk factors for poor quality of life. Conclusion: The findings suggest several individual, psychosocial, and organisational risk factors for the adverse psychological outcomes observed in healthcare professionals during the COVID-19 pandemic. Relevance to clinical practice: This study highlights the urgent need for screening for anxiety and depression and psychological interventions to combat an imminent mental health crisis in healthcare professionals during the COVID-19 pandemic. Pandemic response protocols and public health initiatives aiming to improve and prevent mental health problems in healthcare professionals during the current and future health crises, need to account for the various factors at play. KEYWORDS: COVID-19, healthcare professionals, quality of life, anxiety, depression, occupational burnout, coping, SARS-CoV- 2, Pandemic, mental health
Journal of Clinical Psychology in Medical Settings, 2021
With the advent of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, health-care workers have been faced with an inordinately high level of trauma as frontline providers. The Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW) partnered with affiliate hospitals and community partners to mobilize a matrix of available support and interventions to deliver psychological services to reach all levels of health-care providers in timely, accessible formats. While virtual peer support groups were the most utilized resource among the support group options, other opportunities also provided unique benefits to learners whose education had been disrupted by the pandemic. Mental health must be prioritized for health-care workers in the event of future public health crises. Lessons learned from this pandemic indicate that it is critical to involve learners early on in the process in order to meet their educational needs and to increase access to evidence-based care.
BMJ Open, 2022
Objectives The aim of the current study is to gain insight into the factors that benefit vitality and resilience of healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic, to develop and direct specific support strategies. Design, setting and participants This study applies a qualitative design, consisting of six focus groups and five interviews among 38 frontline healthcare workers in a large Dutch academic hospital. Included were professionals of the intensive care unit, COVID-19 departments, infection prevention units and facility management services. The study was conducted in October and November 2020, during the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. Data analysis Thematic analysis was applied to focus group and interview data to gain insight into the factors that contribute to maintaining vitality and resilience, and to assess specific support needs. Results Data analysis of the focus groups and individual interviews resulted in a thematic map of the factors that contribute to maintaining resilience and vitality. The map stretches over two axes: one ranging from a healthy basis to adequate professional functioning and the other from individual to organisation, resulting in four quadrants: recharge and recover (healthy basis, individual), safety and connectedness at work (healthy basis, organisational), collaboration (professional functioning, organisational) and professional identity (professional functioning, individual). Conclusion Areas for organisational support strategies to increase vitality and resilience among healthcare professionals are: consistent communication, realistic job performance expectations, monitor and improve mental resilience, showing appreciation and act upon practical support requests.
Taylor and Francis, 2022
The emergence of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has had a negative impact on the psychological and mental wellbeing of healthcare workers. The purpose of this study was to explore and describe the psychological and emotional challenges that healthcare workers experienced when they contracted COVID-19.An interpretative phenomenological approach was undertaken. In-depth interviews were used to collect data virtually from ten purposefully sampled healthcare workers.The findings of the study revealed that participants experienced negative emotions, overwhelming stress as a result of poor communication of COVID-19 results, self-blame in contracting the infection, fear of dying from COVID-19, infecting others, and reinfection. Furthermore, psychological distress related to uncertainty regarding COVID-19 infection/recovery, uncertainty worsened by lack of institutional support resulting in stress, confusion, shock and frustration. Lastly, stigma and discrimination related to COVID-19 infection were common experiences and were evidenced by rejection by colleagues, stigmatisation of families, and fear of disclosure of the positive COVID-19 results.In conclusion, emphasis is placed on providing comprehensive, differentiated psychosocial support to the healthcare workers who have contracted COVID-19 to enhance their mental wellbeing during and after the pandemic.
The Open Psychology Journal
Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic situation is a huge global medical and public health issue that has affected people’s physical health and mental well-being. Under the current circumstances, medical professionals are at risk of stress, anxiety, and subsequent mental health problems. Methods: The present study aimed to explore the needs of medical professionals in terms of promoting their mental health while performing their duties during the COVID-19 pandemic. The purposive sampling method was used to select 43 medical professionals in the following five groups: physicians, dentists, pharmacists, nurses, and medical technicians, who were frontline health workers or had the risk of contracting infection from infected patients in Thai hospitals during the COVID-19 pandemic. The data were collected using a semi-structured online interview. The informants were asked to talk about the need for mental health promotion of medical professionals while performing their duties during the CO...