Project description:BackgroundThe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has had a significant psychological impact on healthcare workers (HCWs).AimsThere is an urgent need to understand the risk and protective factors associated with poor mental well-being of UK HCWs working during the COVID-19 pandemic.MethodShortly after the April 2020 UK COVID-19 peak 2773 HCWs completed a survey containing measures of anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder and stress, as well as questions around potential predictors such as roles, COVID-19 risk perception and workplace-related factors. Respondents were classified as high or low symptomatic on each scale and logistic regression revealed factors associated with severe psychiatric symptoms. Change in well-being from pre- to during COVID-19 was also quantified.ResultsNearlya third of HCWs reported moderate to severe levels of anxiety and depression, and the number reporting very high symptoms was more than quadruple that pre-COVID-19. Several controllable factors were associated with the most severe level of psychiatric symptoms: insufficient personal protective equipment availability, workplace preparation, training and communication, and higher workload. Being female, 'front line', previous psychiatric diagnoses, traumatic events, and being an allied HCW or manager were also significantly associated with severe psychiatric symptoms. Sharing stress, resilience and ethical support for treatment decisions were significantly associated with low psychiatric symptoms. Front-line workers showed greater worsening of mental health compared with non-front-line HCWs.ConclusionsPoor mental well-being was prevalent during the COVID-19 response, however, controllable factors associated with severe psychiatric symptoms are available to be targeted to reduce the detrimental impact of COVID-19 and other pandemics on HCW mental health.
Project description:BackgroundThe COVID-19 pandemic brought rapid changes to the work and personal lives of clinicians.ObjectiveTo assess clinician burnout and well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic and guide healthcare system improvement efforts.DesignA survey asking about clinician burnout, well-being, and work experiences.ParticipantsSurveys distributed to 8141 clinicians from June to August 2020 in 9 medical groups and 17 hospitals at Sutter Health, a large healthcare system in Northern California.Main measuresBurnout was the primary outcome, and other indicators of well-being and work experience were also measured. Descriptive statistics and multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed. All statistical inferences were based on weighted estimates adjusting for response bias.Key resultsA total of 3176 clinicians (39.0%) responded to the survey. Weighted results showed 29.2% reported burnout, and burnout was more common among women than among men (39.0% vs. 22.7%, p<0.01). In multivariate models, being a woman was associated with increased odds of reporting burnout (OR=2.19, 95% CI: 1.51-3.17) and being 55+ years old with lower odds (OR=0.54, 95% CI: 0.34-0.87). More women than men reported that childcare/caregiving was impacting work (32.9% vs. 19.0%, p<0.01). Even after controlling for age and gender, clinicians who reported childcare/caregiving responsibilities impacted their work had substantially higher odds of reporting burnout (OR=2.19, 95% CI: 1.54-3.11). Other factors associated with higher burnout included worrying about safety at work, being given additional work tasks, concern about losing one's job, and working in emergency medicine or radiology. Protective factors included believing one's concerns will be acted upon and feeling highly valued.ConclusionsThis large survey found the pandemic disproportionally impacted women, younger clinicians, and those whose caregiving responsibilities impacted their work. These results highlight the need for a holistic and targeted strategy for improving clinician well-being that addresses the needs of women, younger clinicians, and those with caregiving responsibilities.
Project description:Personal protective equipment (PPE) can potentiate heat stress, which may have a negative impact on the wearer's performance, safety and well-being. In view of this, a survey was distributed to healthcare workers (HCWs) required to wear PPE during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic in the UK to evaluate perceived levels of heat stress and its consequences. Respondents reported experiencing several heat-related illness symptoms, and heat stress impaired both cognitive and physical performance. The majority of respondents stated that wearing PPE made their job more difficult. These, and additional, responses suggest that modification to current working practices is required urgently to improve the resilience of HCWs to wearing PPE during pandemics.
Project description:Background The COVID-19 pandemic led to rapid and wide-scale changes in graduate medical education and impacted the well-being of frontline physicians, including residents and fellows. While institutions and programs implemented initiatives to support the unique needs of trainees during the pandemic, there remains a gap in the literature in examining the approaches used, the domains of well-being addressed, and the effectiveness of these efforts. Objective To review the literature on interventions designed to promote resident and fellow well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods The authors conducted a scoping review of the literature published between January 1, 2020, and November 30, 2023, in PubMed, Scopus, Embase, PsycINFO, CINAHL, and ERIC to identify interventions to promote the well-being of trainees during the COVID-19 pandemic. Results Eighteen articles met inclusion criteria, mainly studies conducted in the United States (14 of 18, 77.8%). Most interventions targeted psychological well-being (16 of 18, 88.9%), with only a few studies that included interventions in the physical or social domains. Interventions entailed redeployment, schedule modifications, communication strategies, and expanded mental health support. Most interventions were limited to a few weeks' duration in the first surge phase of the pandemic. Only 11 studies (61%) reported outcome measures, and only 2 (11%) used instruments with validity evidence. Most studies did not report sufficient data to evaluate study quality. Conclusions While longer-term outcome data were often lacking, studies described a range of interventions to support resident well-being. Future research should focus on the effectiveness of well-being interventions and include cohorts from more diverse clinical settings.
Project description:Healthcare workers are highly regarded for their compassion, dedication, and composure. However, COVID-19 created unprecedented demands that rendered healthcare workers vulnerable to increased burnout, anxiety, and depression. This cross-sectional study assessed the psychosocial impact of COVID-19 on U.S. healthcare frontliners using a 38-item online survey administered by Reaction Data between September and December 2020. The survey included five validated scales to assess self-reported burnout (Maslach Summative Burnout Scale), anxiety (GAD-7), depression (PHQ-2), resilience (Brief Resilience Coping Scale), and self-efficacy (New Self-Efficacy Scale-8). We used regression to assess the relationships between demographic variables and the psychosocial scales index scores and found that COVID-19 amplified preexisting burnout (54.8%), anxiety (138.5%), and depression (166.7%), and reduced resilience (5.70%) and self-efficacy (6.5%) among 557 respondents (52.6% male, 47.5% female). High patient volume, extended work hours, staff shortages, and lack of personal protective equipment (PPE) and resources fueled burnout, anxiety, and depression. Respondents were anxious about the indefinite duration of the pandemic/uncertain return to normal (54.8%), were anxious of infecting family (48.3%), and felt conflicted about protecting themselves versus fulfilling their duty to patients (44.3%). Respondents derived strength from their capacity to perform well in tough times (74.15%), emotional support from family/friends (67.2%), and time off work (62.8%). Strategies to promote emotional well-being and job satisfaction can focus on multilevel resilience, safety, and social connectedness.
Project description:IntroductionThis study examined the psychological wellbeing of Healthcare Workers (HCWs) during COVID-19 in a mental health setting, associations of psychosocial wellbeing with coping style, and ways that organisations can mitigate the psychosocial burden on HCWs.MethodsThirty-seven Mental HCWs (MHCWs) from infected and non-infected wards (control group), were recruited and assessed at three timepoints. Psychological wellbeing, perceived cohesion, and coping style (Brief-COPE) were assessed. Reports on individual coping and feedback on the organisation were collected through in-depth interview. Comparison between infected and non-infected wards, as well as comparison of psychosocial measures and perceived cohesion, across the three timepoints were made. As there were no significant changes in coping styles across the timepoints, Timepoint 1 (T1) coping style was used to correlate with the psychosocial measures across all timepoints. Thematic analysis was used for qualitative data.ResultsMHCWs from infected wards reported significantly higher levels of stress, χ2(1) = 6.74, p = 0.009, effect size: medium (ε2 = 0.198), and more severe sleep disturbance (PSQI), χ2(1) = 6.20, p = 0.013, effect size: medium (ε2 = 0.182), as compared to the control group at T2. They also engaged in more problem-focused coping (T2 and T3) and emotion-focused coping (T2). As expected, negative coping style was correlated with negative outcomes except problem-focused coping that was correlated with both negative (sleep disturbance and anxiety symptoms) and positive outcomes (wellbeing). Emotion-focused coping was moderately correlated (Tb = 0.348, p<0.017) with higher levels of wellbeing at T2. Thematic analyses revealed MHCWs felt supported by the responsiveness of the institution, emotional and informational support, and the availability from direct leaders, presence of team and hospital leaders on the ground, helped build trust and confidence in the leadership.ConclusionsMHCWs experienced significantly higher levels of stress and sleep disturbance during COVID-19. The ways that organizations can offset the psychological burden of pandemics on MHCWs are discussed.
Project description:BackgroundThe global COVID-19 pandemic has placed tremendous physical and mental strain on the US healthcare system. Studies examining the effects of outbreaks have demonstrated both an increased prevalence and long-term development of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) symptoms in healthcare providers. We sought to assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the psychological well-being of medical providers, medical trainees, and administrators at a large academic center to identify stressors and moderators to guide future mental health and hospital-system interventions.MethodsA 42-item survey examining specific stressors, grit, and resilience was widely distributed to physicians, residents, fellows, and administrators a large academic institution for departmental distribution. Survey results were analyzed using descriptive statistics, ANOVA, and multivariate linear regressions. A p-value <0.05 was considered statistically significant.ResultsA total of 785 participants completed the survey. The majority of respondents rated their stress to be significantly increased during the pandemic. Respondents' fear of transmitting the virus to their family members was a significant stressor. Higher resilience was associated with lower stress, anxiety, fatigue, and sleep disturbances. Overall, respondents felt supported by their departments and institution and felt contingency plans and personal protective equipment were adequate.ConclusionsHealthcare workers have increased resilience in the face of heightened stress during a pandemic. Higher resilience and grit were protective factors in managing personal and system-level stressors at the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic in our institution. Implementing an intervention designed to enhance healthcare workers' resilience in response to the COVID-19 pandemic is warranted.
Project description:Every day lawyers provide counsel and advocacy to individuals, groups, and businesses in a multitude of settings. From court room to board room, attorneys are relied upon to guide their clients through difficult situations. In doing this, attorneys all too often internalize the stresses of those that they help. The legal system has long been considered a stressful occupation. This stressful environment was further taxed by the wider societal disruptions in 2020 as we dealt with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Beyond the illness itself, the pandemic forced widespread court closures and made it more difficult to communicate with clients. Based upon a survey of the membership of the Kentucky Bar Association, this paper considers the impact of the pandemic on attorney wellness in a variety of categories. These results demonstrated marked negative impacts on a variety of wellness measures which may result in significant reductions in service provision and efficacy for the people who need legal services. The pandemic made the practice of law harder and more stressful. Attorneys suffered increased incidence of substance abuse, alcohol consumption, and stress during the pandemic. These results were generally worse among those practicing in the areas of criminal law. In light of these adverse psychological effects facing attorneys, the authors argue the need for increased mental health support resources for attorneys, as well as establishing clear steps to raise awareness among the legal community about the importance of mental health and personal wellness.
Project description:The current pandemic has exerted an unprecedented psychological impact on the world population, and its effects on mental health are a growing concern. The present study aims to evaluate psychological well-being (PWB) during the COVID-19 crisis in university workers with one or more diseases likely to increase the risk of severe outcomes in the event of SARS-CoV-2 infection, defined as susceptible. 210 susceptible employees of an Italian University (aged 25-71 years) were recruited during the COVID-19 second wave (October-December 2020). A group comprising 90 healthy university employees (aged 26-69 years) was also recruited. The self-report Psychological General Well Being Index (PGWBI) was used to assess global PWB and the influence on six sub-domains: anxiety, depressed mood, positive well-being, self-control, general health, and vitality. We applied non-linear dimension-reduction techniques and regression methods to 45 variables in order to assess the main demographic, occupational, and general-health-related factors predicting PWB during the COVID-19 crisis. PGWBI score was higher in susceptible than in healthy workers, both as total score (mean 77.8 vs 71.3) and across almost all subscales. Age and jobs involving high social interaction before the pandemic were inversely associated with the PWB total score, general health, and self-control subscores. The current data suggest no decline in PWB during the second wave of COVID-19 health emergency in susceptible individuals of working age. Critically, higher risk for mental-health issues appears to be inversely related to age, particularly among individuals deprived of their previous level of social interaction at work.