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Psychological burden of healthcare professionals in Germany during the acute phase of the COVID-19 pandemic: differences and similarities in the international context.

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND:Healthcare professionals (HPs) are the key figures to keep up the healthcare system during the COVID-19 pandemic and thus are one of the most vulnerable groups in this. To this point, the extent of this psychological burden, especially in Europe and Germany, remains unclear. This is the first study investigating German HPs after the COVID-19 outbreak. METHODS:We performed an online-based cross-sectional study after the COVID-19 outbreak in Germany (10-31 March 2020). In total, 2224 HPs (physicians n = 492, nursing staff n = 1511, paramedics n = 221) and 10 639 non-healthcare professionals (nHPs) were assessed including generalized anxiety (Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7), depression (Patient Health Questionnaire-2), current health status (EQ-5D-3L), COVID-19-related fear, subjective level of information regarding COVID-19. RESULTS:HPs showed less generalized anxiety, depression and COVID-19-related fear and higher health status and subjective level of information regarding COVID-19 than the nHPs. Within the HP groups, nursing staff were the most psychologically burdened. Subjective levels of information regarding COVID-19 correlated negatively with generalized anxiety levels across all groups. Among HPs, nursing staff showed the highest and paramedics the lowest generalized anxiety levels. CONCLUSIONS:In the context of COVID-19, German HPs seem to be less psychological burdened than nHPs, and also less burdened compared with existing international data.

SUBMITTER: Skoda EM

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7454781 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Psychological burden of healthcare professionals in Germany during the acute phase of the COVID-19 pandemic: differences and similarities in the international context.

Skoda Eva-Maria EM Teufel Martin M Stang Andreas A Jöckel Karl-Heinz KH Junne Florian F Weismüller Benjamin B Hetkamp Madeleine M Musche Venja V Kohler Hannah H Dörrie Nora N Schweda Adam A Bäuerle Alexander A

Journal of public health (Oxford, England) 20201101 4

<h4>Background</h4>Healthcare professionals (HPs) are the key figures to keep up the healthcare system during the COVID-19 pandemic and thus are one of the most vulnerable groups in this. To this point, the extent of this psychological burden, especially in Europe and Germany, remains unclear. This is the first study investigating German HPs after the COVID-19 outbreak.<h4>Methods</h4>We performed an online-based cross-sectional study after the COVID-19 outbreak in Germany (10-31 March 2020). In ...[more]

PMID: 32766787

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Project description:BackgroundEpidemics or pandemics, such as the current Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) crisis, pose unique challenges to healthcare professionals (HCPs). Caring for patients during an epidemic/pandemic may impact negatively on the mental health of HCPs. There is a lack of evidence-based advice on what would be effective in mitigating this impact.ObjectivesThis rapid review synthesizes the evidence on the psychological impact of pandemics/epidemics on the mental health of HCPs, what factors predict this impact, and the evidence of prevention/intervention strategies to reduce this impact.MethodAccording to rapid review guidelines, systematic searches were carried out in Embase.com , PubMed, APA PsycINFO-Ovid SP, and Web of Science (core collection). Searches were restricted to the years 2003 or later to ensure inclusion of the most recent epidemic/pandemics, such as Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS). Papers written in French or English, published in peer-reviewed journals, and of quantitative design using validated measures of mental health outcomes were included. Of 1308 papers found, 50 were included. The full protocol for this rapid review was registered with Prospero (reg.no. CRD42020175985).ResultsResults show that exposed HCPs working with patients during an epidemic/pandemic are at heightened risk of mental health problems in the short and longer term, particularly: psychological distress, insomnia, alcohol/drug misuse, and symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, anxiety, burnout, anger, and higher perceived stress. These mental health problems are predicted by organizational, social, personal, and psychological factors and may interfere with the quality of patient care. Few evidence-based early interventions exist so far.DiscussionHCPs need to be provided with psychosocial support to protect their mental wellbeing if they are to continue to provide high quality patient care. Several recommendations relevant during and after an epidemic/pandemic, such as COVID-19, and in preparation for a future outbreak, are proposed.

Project description:BackgroundWork-related psychosocial hazards result in numerous adverse effects on physical and psychological health, a reduction in quality of life and a decline in performance capacity to workers. While the condition is widespread across various occupations, healthcare sectors are acknowledged to be at high risk. In developing countries such as Ethiopia, however, the lack of reliable data on psychosocial hazards including psychological distress (PD) often hampers officials from planning for preventive actions. This study assessed the magnitude and influencing factors of PD among healthcare professionals in Gondar city, Ethiopia.MethodsWe employed a cross-sectional survey of 422 healthcare professionals selected with a stratified random sampling technique between April and March 2019. The symptoms of psychological distress were assessed with a standardized 10 items Kessler Psychological Distress Scale instrument. Bivariate and multivariate analyses were conducted by use of SPSS program version 20. Factors associated with psychological distress symptoms were ascertained at < 0.05 p-value. Adjusted odds ratio (AOR) with a confidence interval (CI) of 95% was used to determine the strength of associations.ResultsIn total, 417questionnaires fully completed and returned with a response rate of 98.8%. Age ranges from 23 to 57 with a mean of 31.00 (± 8.219 SD) years. Work-related psychological distress symptoms in the past 4weeks stood at 44.4% (N = 185) [95%CI (39.8, 49.4)]. Being female worker [AOR: 2.07; 95% CI (1.29, 3.32)], high job demand [(AOR: 1.53; 95% CI (1.10, 2.57)] and low job control [AOR: 2.54; 95% CI (1.60, 4.04)] were significant factors of psychological distress.ConclusionThis study underscores the level of psychological distress among healthcare professionals is high. The experiences of psychological distress symptoms were significantly influenced by socio-demographic factors including sex and psychosocial job characteristics such as job demand and job control. Efforts to prevent the mental health of workers including psychological distress symptoms need to focus on individual attributes and job contexts.

Project description:Background The COVID-19 pandemic is a serious global health concern, posing a greater risk of psychological vulnerabilities for frontline healthcare workers (HCWs), military professionals and the general public around the globe. These psychological issues appear to be long lasting and heighten the risk of mental health disorders. Therefore, this study aimed to identify psychological problems encountered by HCWs, military professionals, and the general public in Sri Lanka during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods A descriptive cross-sectional study was undertaken with 367 participants, including frontline HCWs (n = 128), military professionals (n = 102), and the general public (n = 137). Depression and anxiety were assessed using the Peradeniya Depression Scale (PDS) and the Generalized Anxiety Disorder scale (GAD-7), respectively. Results Mean (± SD) age of the participants was 35.0 (± 10.6) years. A reasonable proportion of participants experienced depressive symptoms (39.25%, n = 144) and severe anxiety (12.8%, n = 47). Military professionals showed depressive symptoms (73.50%, n = 75) and severe anxiety (32.4%, n = 33) predominantly. Multivariate binary logistic regression revealed that only the level of education and professional engagement affected depressive symptoms and severe anxiety (p < 0.01). Having a high level of education was a protective factor for depressive symptoms (Adjusted OR = 0.34) compared to lower-level education, while being a HCW (Adjusted OR = 4.40) and military professional (Adjusted OR = 5.43) were identified as risk factors for depressive symptoms compared to the general public. Similarly, having a high level of education was a protective factor for severe anxiety (Adjusted OR = 0.29) compared to lower-level education, while being a HCW (Adjusted OR = 3.90) and military professional (Adjusted OR = 4.52) were identified as risk factors for severe anxiety compared to the general public. Conclusion The current study revealed a greater level of anxiety and depressive symptoms among frontline HCWs and military professionals in Sri Lanka during the pandemic of COVID-19 compared to the general public. Therefore, providing psychological first aid for them to better deal with mental problems and an emergency preparedness plan to deal with sudden outbreaks of infectious situations are important. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12888-023-04918-2.

Dataset Information

Psychological burden of healthcare professionals in Germany during the acute phase of the COVID-19 pandemic: differences and similarities in the international context.

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Psychological burden of healthcare professionals in Germany during the acute phase of the COVID-19 pandemic: differences and similarities in the international context.

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