The psychological impact on perioperative healthcare workers during Victoria's second COVID-19 wave: A prospective longitudinal thematic analysis.
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SUBMITTER: Ku M
PROVIDER: S-EPMC9982396 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Mar
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
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The psychological impact on perioperative healthcare workers during Victoria's second COVID-19 wave: A prospective longitudinal thematic analysis.
Ku Michelle M Ng Irene I Barson Elizabeth E Fisher Caroline C Segal Reny R Williams Daryl Lindsay DL Krieser Roni Benjamin RB Mezzavia Paul Mario PM Lee Keat K Chen Yinwei Y Sindoni Teresa T Withiel Toni T
Journal of health psychology 20220714 3
The COVID-19 pandemic has had a profound psychological impact on our frontline healthcare workers. Throughout the entire second COVID-19 wave at one major tertiary hospital in Melbourne Australia, longitudinal qualitative data between perioperative staff members, and analyses of intrapersonal changes were reported. Inductive analysis of three open-ended questions generated four major themes: Organisational Response to the Pandemic, Psychological Impact, Changes in Feelings of Support Over Time a ...[more]
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Project description:BackgroundThe COVID-19 outbreak imposed an overwhelming workload as well as emotional burdens on Healthcare workers (HCWs). In May 2020, an online survey was administered to HCWs in Italy to assess the pandemic's psychological impact and to investigate possible predictive factors that led to individual differences.MethodsThe psychological experience was measured based on the prevalence of self-reported feelings during the pandemic, including negative and positive emotional states. We analyzed the relationship between factors of gender, age, geographic region, professional role, and operational unit, and the four-point scale used to rate the frequency of each emotional state experienced by performing several multinomial logistic regressions, one for each emotion.ResultsOur findings suggest that more than half of HCWs experienced psychological distress during the first COVID-19 outbreak in Italy. Female and younger respondents, especially those operating in northern Italy experienced more frequently negative emotional states such as irritability, anxiety, loneliness, and insecurity. However, positive feelings, first of all solidarity, were also reported especially by female and older workers. The majority of the negative as well as positive emotional states were experienced almost equally by both doctors and nurses, and independently of the operational unit in which they operated.ConclusionsThis study can be very useful as a contribution to the current literature on the psychological effects of this pandemic on health workers. Moreover, our findings can provide useful information in planning more tailored psychological interventions to support this category of workers in the ongoing and future emergencies.
| S-EPMC8977468 | biostudies-literature
Project description:ObjectiveTo describe the incidence of, risk factors for, and impact of vaccines on primary SARS-CoV-2 infection during the second wave of the covid-19 pandemic in susceptible hospital healthcare workers in England.DesignMulticentre prospective cohort study.SettingNational Health Service secondary care health organisations (trusts) in England between 1 September 2020 and 30 April 2021.ParticipantsClinical, support, and administrative staff enrolled in the SARS-CoV-2 Immunity and Reinfection Evaluation (SIREN) study with no evidence of previous infection. Vaccination status was obtained from national covid-19 vaccination registries and self-reported.Main outcome measureSARS-CoV-2 infection confirmed by polymerase chain reaction. Mixed effects logistic regression was conducted to determine demographic and occupational risk factors for infection, and an individual based mathematical model was used to predict how large the burden could have been if vaccines had not been available from 8 December 2020 .ResultsDuring England's second wave, 12.9% (2353/18 284) of susceptible SIREN participants became infected with SARS-CoV-2. Infections peaked in late December 2020 and decreased from January 2021, concurrent with the cohort's rapid vaccination coverage and a national lockdown. In multivariable analysis, factors increasing the likelihood of infection in the second wave were being under 25 years old (20.3% (132/651); adjusted odds ratio 1.35, 95% confidence interval 1.07 to 1.69), living in a large household (15.8% (282/1781); 1.54, 1.23 to 1.94, for participants from households of five or more people), having frequent exposure to patients with covid-19 (19.2% (723/3762); 1.79, 1.56 to 2.06, for participants with exposure every shift), working in an emergency department or inpatient ward setting (20.8% (386/1855); 1.76, 1.45 to 2.14), and being a healthcare assistant (18.1% (267/1479); 1.43, 1.16 to 1.77). Time to first vaccination emerged as being strongly associated with infection (P<0.001), with each additional day multiplying a participant's adjusted odds ratio by 1.02. Mathematical model simulations indicated that an additional 9.9% of all patient facing hospital healthcare workers would have been infected were it not for the rapid vaccination coverage.ConclusionsThe rapid covid-19 vaccine rollout from December 2020 averted infection in a large proportion of hospital healthcare workers in England: without vaccines, second wave infections could have been 69% higher. With booster vaccinations being needed for adequate protection from the omicron variant, and perhaps the need for further boosters for future variants, ensuring equitable delivery to healthcare workers is essential. The findings also highlight occupational risk factors that persisted in healthcare workers despite vaccine rollout; a greater understanding of the transmission dynamics responsible for these is needed to help to optimise the infection prevention and control policies that protect healthcare workers from infection and therefore to support staffing levels and maintain healthcare provision.Trial registrationISRCTN registry ISRCTN11041050.
| S-EPMC9295077 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Intensive care unit healthcare workers (ICU HCW) are at risk of mental health disorders during emerging disease outbreaks. Numerous cross-sectional studies have reported psychological distress, anxiety, and depression amongst ICU HCW during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, few studies have followed HCW longitudinally, and none of these have examined the association between COVID-19 workload and mental health. We conducted a longitudinal cohort study of 309 Canadian ICU HCW from April 2020 to August 2020, during the 1st wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. Psychological distress was assessed using the General Health Questionnaire 12-item scale (GHQ-12) at 3 timepoints: during the acceleration phase of the 1st wave (T1), the deceleration phase of the 1st wave (T2), and after the 1st wave had passed (T3). Clinically relevant psychological distress, defined as a GHQ-12 score ≥ 3, was identified in 64.7% of participants at T1, 41.0% at T2, and 34.6% at T3. Psychological distress was not associated with COVID-19 workload at T1. At T2, psychological distress was associated with the number of COVID-19 patients in the ICU (odds ratio [OR]: 1.06, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.00, 1.13) while at T3, when COVID-19 patient numbers were low, it was associated with the number of weekly hospital shifts with COVID-19 exposure (OR: 1.33, 95% CI: 1.09, 1.64). When analyzed longitudinally in a mixed effects model, pandemic timepoint was a stronger predictor of psychological distress (OR: 0.24, 95% CI: 0.15, 0.40 for T2 and OR: 0.16, 95% CI: 0.09, 0.27 for T3) than COVID-19 workload. Participants who showed persistent psychological distress at T3 were compared with those who showed recovery at T3. Persistent psychological distress was associated with a higher number of weekly shifts with COVID-19 exposure (OR: 1.97, 95% CI:1.33, 3.09) but not with a higher number of COVID-19 patients in the ICU (OR: 0.86, 95% CI: 0.76, 0.95). In summary, clinically relevant psychological distress was observed in a majority of ICU HCW during the acceleration phase of the 1st wave of the COVID-19 pandemic but decreased rapidly as the 1st wave progressed. Persistent psychological distress was associated with working more weekly shifts with COVID-19 exposure but not with higher numbers of COVID-19 patients in the ICU. In future emerging disease outbreaks, minimizing shifts with direct disease exposure may help alleviate symptoms for individuals with persistent psychological distress.
| S-EPMC10919682 | biostudies-literature
Project description:IntroductionIn the pandemic, healthcare professionals face even higher levels of stress. It is therefore a priority to estimate the impact of the pandemic on mental health and to propose targeted strategies to improve resilience. The aims of the study were to (1) assess the mental health of healthcare professionals working with patients with COVID-19 and identify social determinants that may increase the risk of negative outcomes; and (2) test the effectiveness of an intervention to improve the resilience of healthcare professionals in France.Methods and analysisTo evaluate the first objective, a national longitudinal study will be carried out among healthcare professionals working with patients with COVID-19. Participants will be recruited via an internet link that will be widely disseminated on social media, mailing lists, medical boards and French medical journals. Primary outcomes are mental health distress/symptoms and resilience. Secondary outcomes are burnout, social and occupational supports and substance use. To meet the second objective, an interventional study will be conducted. The main outcome is the effectiveness of the PsySTART-Responder and the Anticipate.Plan.Deter program. Qualitative analyses will be conducted to understand the strategies used to cope with the pandemic.Ethics and disseminationThe study protocol was approved by the Sorbonne Université Ethical Committee (No 2020-CER-2020-27) and was declared to French Commission on Information Technology and Liberties, CNIL (N°2222413, 20-05-2021). The results of this study will provide a better understanding of mental health and social inequalities in mental health among healthcare professionals working in the pandemic; data about the effectiveness of the PsySTART-Responder and the Anticipate.Plan.Deter interventional program in France.
| S-EPMC8783967 | biostudies-literature
Project description:(1) Background: Coronavirus disease, also called COVID-19, is a worldwide pandemic with a major impact on all aspects of the individual (health status, psychological, and economic aspects, among others). The perception of health professionals in this situation has been influenced by their economic and psychosocial situations. On the economic level, self-employed workers have no state subsidies, with the added disadvantage of not having sufficient means to cope with contagion. This could potentially have an impact on their health and indirectly on their family members, creating additional stress. The aim of this study was to determine whether there are differences in the level of anxiety of health professionals working in private practice compared to healthcare workers working in public institutions during the first three waves of COVID-19. (2) Methods: A cohort study on 517 subjects comparing anxiety between a group of health workers and a group of health professionals working in the public sector at three key moments during the pandemic was performed. (3) Results: Statistically significant differences were found between self-employed private health professionals compared to those working as public health workers. The perception of impact was worse in the self-employed; however, a higher level of anxiety was evident in public employees in all assessed domains (cognitive, physiological, and motor, p = 0.001). (4) Conclusions: There were significant changes when comparing the first phase between both groups; employed public healthcare workers manifested a sense of lower risk of COVID-19 contagion than privately employed professionals, who had a higher level of anxiety. In the second and third waves, negative feelings improved for both groups, and the fear of showing anxiety to the patient decreased over the course of the waves.
| S-EPMC9819057 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundCOVID-19 forced healthcare workers to work in unprecedented and critical circumstances, exacerbating already-problematic and stressful working conditions. The "Healthcare workers' wellbeing (Benessere Operatori)" project aimed at identifying psychological and personal factors, influencing individuals' responses to the COVID-19 pandemic.Methods291 healthcare workers took part in the project by answering an online questionnaire twice (after the first wave of COVID-19 and during the second wave) and completing questions on socio-demographic and work-related information, the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale-21, the Insomnia Severity Index, the Impact of Event Scale-Revised, the State-Trait Anger Expression Inventory-2, the Maslach Burnout Inventory, the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support, and the Brief Cope.ResultsHigher levels of worry, worse working conditions, a previous history of psychiatric illness, being a nurse, older age, and avoidant and emotion-focused coping strategies seem to be risk factors for healthcare workers' mental health. High levels of perceived social support, the attendance of emergency training, and problem-focused coping strategies play a protective role.ConclusionsAn innovative, and more flexible, data mining statistical approach (i.e., a regression trees approach for repeated measures data) allowed us to identify risk factors and derive classification rules that could be helpful to implement targeted interventions for healthcare workers.
| S-EPMC9103992 | biostudies-literature
Project description:ObjectiveThis longitudinal study examined changes in psychological outcomes of perioperative frontline healthcare workers at one of Australia's most COVID-19 affected hospitals, following the surge and decline of a pandemic wave.MethodA single-centred longitudinal online survey was conducted between 26 May and 17 November 2020. Recruitment was via poster advertisement and email invitation. The survey was sent out every 4 weeks, resulting in seven time-points.ResultsIn total, 385 survey results were analysed from 193 staff (about 64% response rate), 72 (37%) of whom completed the survey more than once. The prevalence of moderate-to-severe anxiety and depressive symptoms peaked at 27% and 25%, respectively, during the pandemic surge. Up to 35% displayed post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms. Although not statistically significant, the trend of depressive and PTSD symptoms worsened over time, especially among females and anaesthetic/surgical trainees, despite subsidence of the pandemic curve. Technicians and anaesthetic/scrub nurses were the at-risk groups with worst psychological outcomes.ConclusionWe found persistent mental health impacts on frontline perioperative HCWs despite subsidence of the pandemic wave. Further research is needed to determine the extent and trajectory of such impacts with larger sample sizes to determine generalisability to frontline HCWs in general.
| S-EPMC8927895 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BACKGROUND:The current coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has a great impact worldwide. Healthcare workers play an essential role and are one of the most exposed groups. Information about the psychosocial impact on healthcare workers is limited. METHODS:3109 healthcare workers completed a national, internet-based, cross-sectional 45-item survey between 9 and 19 April 2020. The objective is to assess the psychological impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in Spanish healthcare workers. A Psychological Stress and Adaptation at work Score (PSAS) was defined combining four modified versions of validated psychological assessment tests (A) Healthcare Stressful Test, (B) Coping Strategies Inventory, (C) Font-Roja Questionnaire and (D) Trait Meta-Mood Scale. RESULTS:The highest psychosocial impact was perceived in Respiratory Medicine, the mean (S.D.) PSAS was 48.3 (13.6) and Geriatrics 47.6 (16.4). Higher distress levels were found in the geographical areas with the highest incidence of COVID-19 (>245.5 cases per 100 000 people), PSAS 46.8 (15.2); p < 0.001. The least stress respondents were asymptomatic workers PSAS, 41.3 (15.4); p < 0.001, as well as those above 60 years old, PSAS, 37.6 (16); p < 0.001. Workers who needed psychological therapy and did not receive it, were more stressed PSAS 52.5 (13.6) than those who did not need it PSAS 39.7 (13.9); p < 0.001. CONCLUSIONS:The psychological impact in healthcare workers in Spain during COVID-19 emergency has been studied. The stress perceived is parallel to the number of cases per 100 000 people. Psychotherapy could have a major role to mitigate the experimented stress level.
| S-EPMC7477466 | biostudies-literature
Project description:IntroductionThe COVID-19 pandemic has led to significant challenges for frontline healthcare workers' (FHW), raising many mental health and wellbeing concerns for this cohort. To facilitate identification of risk and protective factors to inform treatment and interventions, this study investigated key predictors of psychological distress and subjective wellbeing in FHWs.MethodsDuring the Omicron wave of the COVID-19 pandemic (January 2022), Victorian (Australia) doctors, nurses, allied health and non-medical staff from Emergency Departments, Intensive Care units, Aged Care, Hospital In The Home, and COVID Wards completed a cross-sectional survey consisting of the Kessler 6 item (Psychological Distress), Personal Wellbeing Index (Subjective Wellbeing), Coronavirus Health Impact Survey tool (COVID-19 related factors) and occupational factors. Multivariable linear regressions were used to evaluate unadjusted and adjusted associations. Relative weight analysis was used to compare and identify key predictors.ResultsOut of 167 participants, 18.1% screened positive for a probable mental illness and a further 15.3% screened positive for low wellbeing. Key risk factors for greater psychological distress included COVID infection worries, relationship stress and younger age. For both psychological distress and lower wellbeing, health status and supervisor support were key protective factors, while infection risks were key risk factors. Only positive changes in relationship quality was protective of lower wellbeing.ConclusionThis study highlights the significance of social determinants and individual level factors alongside work related factors, in influencing FHWs' mental health and wellbeing during public health crises, such as the COVID-19 pandemic. Findings suggest that future interventions and supports should take a more holistic approach that considers work, social and individual level factors when supporting FHWs' mental health and wellbeing.
| S-EPMC10361570 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundHealthcare workers (HCWs) have been impacted psychologically due to their professional responsibilities over the prolonged era of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. The study aimed to identify the predictors of psychological distress, fear, and coping during the COVID-19 pandemic among HCWs.MethodsA cross-sectional online survey was conducted among self-identified HCWs across 14 countries (12 from Asia and two from Africa). The Kessler Psychological Distress Scale, the Fear of COVID-19 Scale, and the Brief Resilient Coping Scale were used to assess the psychological distress, fear, and coping of HCWs, respectively.ResultsA total of 2447 HCWs participated; 36% were doctors, and 42% were nurses, with a mean age of 36 (±12) years, and 70% were females. Moderate to very-high psychological distress was prevalent in 67% of the HCWs; the lowest rate was reported in the United Arab Emirates (1%) and the highest in Indonesia (16%). The prevalence of high levels of fear was 20%; the lowest rate was reported in Libya (9%) and the highest in Egypt (32%). The prevalence of medium-to-high resilient coping was 63%; the lowest rate was reported in Libya (28%) and the highest in Syria (76%).ConclusionCOVID-19 has augmented the psychological distress among HCWs. Factors identified in this study should be considered in managing the wellbeing of HCWs, who had been serving as the frontline drivers in managing the crisis successfully across all participating countries. Furthermore, interventions to address their psychological distress should be considered.
| S-EPMC9300980 | biostudies-literature