Dataset Information

The influence of COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health of pharmacists as frontline health care providers in Nepal.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Due to COVID-19, pharmacists have been exposed to a variety of dangers that have an impact on their mental health. The study highlights that impact of COVID-19 and work led to burnout among them. Thus, it is necessary to offer mental health services.

Aims

To assess the impact of COVID-19 on the work of pharmacy professionals and ascertain the extent of the influence of burnout on mental health among pharmacists working as frontline health providers in Nepal.

Methods

Pharmacists from Province 2, 3, and 5 in Nepal participated in a self-administered questionnaire that assessed mental health and wellbeing and burnout using 16-item OLBI. Data was collected from January 2023-March 2023. Independent sample t-test, one-way ANOVA, Pearson's correlation, and linear regression were employed to identify any significant connections between burnout and mental health and wellbeing.

Results

Out of 243 participants, COVID-19 pandemic and work was found to have a negative impact on the mental health and wellbeing of a 33.7% of pharmacists. Participants reported having financial issues in 41.6% of cases and 9.5% considered leaving the profession and were concerned about the provision of service quality and making mistakes at work. A strong and meaningful positive relationship and linear regression were observed between exhaustion, disengagement, burnout, mental health and wellbeing. Pharmacists working part-time (p < 0.050) in hospital settings experienced burnout as a result of insufficient training, extended working hours, and stress both on and off the job.

Conclusions

Pharmacists are to prioritize a healthy work-life balance, which includes avoiding prolonged shifts >8 h, regular physical exercise and promote open communication among colleagues to address workplace concerns.

SUBMITTER: Adhikari S

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11004875 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Publications

The influence of COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health of pharmacists as frontline health care providers in Nepal.

Adhikari Subesha S Kasaju Sarina Pradhan SP Langkulsen Uma U

Heliyon 20240403 7

<h4>Background</h4>Due to COVID-19, pharmacists have been exposed to a variety of dangers that have an impact on their mental health. The study highlights that impact of COVID-19 and work led to burnout among them. Thus, it is necessary to offer mental health services.<h4>Aims</h4>To assess the impact of COVID-19 on the work of pharmacy professionals and ascertain the extent of the influence of burnout on mental health among pharmacists working as frontline health providers in Nepal.<h4>Methods< ...[more]

PMID: 38601518

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Project description:BackgroundRapidly growing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has brought unprecedented challenges to the health system in Nepal. The main objective of this study was to explore the health system preparedness for COVID-19 and its impacts on frontline health-care workers in Nepal.MethodsSemi-structured interviews were conducted among 32 health-care workers who were involved in clinical care of COVID-19 patients and four policy-makers who were responsible for COVID-19 control and management at central and provincial level. Interviews were conducted through telephone or Internet-based tools such as Zoom and Skype. All interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed into English, and coded using inductive and deductive approaches.ResultsBoth health-care workers and policy-makers reported failure to initiate pre-emptive control measures at the early stages of the outbreak as the pivot in pandemic control. Although several measures were rolled out when cases started to appear, the overall health system preparedness was low. The poor governance, and coordination between three tiers of government was compounded by the inadequate personal protective equipment for health-care workers, insufficient isolation beds for patients, and poor engagement of the private sector. Frontline health-care workers experienced various degrees of stigma because of their profession and yet were able to maintain their motivation to continue serving patients.ConclusionPreparedness for COVID-19 was affected by the poor coordination between three tiers of governance. Specifically, the lack of human resources, inadequate logistic chain management and laboratory facilities for testing COVID-19 appeared to have jeopardized the health system preparedness and escalated the pandemic in Nepal. Despite the poor preparedness, and health and safety concerns, health-care workers maintained their motivation. There is an urgent need for an effective coordination mechanism between various tiers of health structure (including private sector) in addition to incentivizing the health-care workers for the current and future pandemics.

Project description:Upper respiratory viral infections can decrease the sense of smell either by inflammatory restriction of nasal airflow that carries the odorant molecules or through interference in olfactory sensory neuron function. During the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, triggered by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), worldwide reports of severe smell loss (anosmia/hyposmia) revealed a different type of olfactory dysfunction associated with respiratory virus infection. Since self-reported perception of smell is subjective and SARS-CoV-2 exposure is variable in the general population, we aimed to study a population that would be more homogeneously exposed to the virus. Here, we investigated the prevalence of olfactory loss in frontline health professionals diagnosed with COVID-19 in Brazil, one of the major epicenters of the disease. We also analyzed the rate of olfactory function recovery and the particular characteristics of olfactory deficit in this population. A widely disclosed cross-sectional online survey directed to health care workers was developed by a group of researchers to collect data concerning demographic information, general symptoms, otolaryngological symptoms, comorbidities, and COVID-19 test results. Of the 1,376 health professionals who completed the questionnaire, 795 (57.8%) were working directly with COVID-19 patients, either in intensive care units, emergency rooms, wards, outpatient clinics, or other areas. Five-hundred forty-one (39.3%) participants tested positive for SARS-CoV-2, and 509 (37%) were not tested. Prevalence of olfactory dysfunction in COVID-19-positive subjects was 83.9% (454 of 541) compared to 12.9% (42 of 326) of those who tested negative and to 14.9% (76 of 509) of those not tested. Olfactory dysfunction incidence was higher in those working in wards, emergency rooms, and intensive care units compared to professionals in outpatient clinics. In general, remission from olfactory symptoms was frequent by the time of responses. Taste disturbances were present in 74.1% of infected participants and were significantly associated with hyposmia. In conclusion, olfactory dysfunction is highly correlated with exposure to SARS-CoV-2 in health care professionals, and remission rates up to 2 weeks are high.

Dataset Information

The influence of COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health of pharmacists as frontline health care providers in Nepal.

Background

Aims

Methods

Results

Conclusions

Publications

The influence of COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health of pharmacists as frontline health care providers in Nepal.

Similar Datasets

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