Mental Health Outcomes in Healthcare Workers in COVID-19 and Non-COVID-19 Care Units: A Cross-Sectional Survey in Belgium

BackgroundThe literature shows the negative psychological impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak on frontline healthcare workers. However, few are known about the mental health of physicians and nurses working in general hospitals during the outbreak, caring for patients with COVID-19 or not.ObjectivesThis survey assessed differences in mental health in physicians and nurses working in COVID-19 or non-COVID-19 medical care units.DesignA cross-sectional mixed-mode survey was used to assess burnout, insomnia, depression, anxiety, and stress.SettingA total of 1,244 physicians... Mehr ...

Verfasser: Julien Tiete
Magda Guatteri
Audrey Lachaux
Araxie Matossian
Jean-Michel Hougardy
Gwenolé Loas
Marianne Rotsaert
Dokumenttyp: Artikel
Erscheinungsdatum: 2021
Reihe/Periodikum: Frontiers in Psychology, Vol 11 (2021)
Verlag/Hrsg.: Frontiers Media S.A.
Schlagwörter: COVID-19 / healthcare workers / distress / burnout / Health Psychology / Psychology / BF1-990
Sprache: Englisch
Permalink: https://search.fid-benelux.de/Record/base-28972625
Datenquelle: BASE; Originalkatalog
Powered By: BASE
Link(s) : https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.612241

BackgroundThe literature shows the negative psychological impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak on frontline healthcare workers. However, few are known about the mental health of physicians and nurses working in general hospitals during the outbreak, caring for patients with COVID-19 or not.ObjectivesThis survey assessed differences in mental health in physicians and nurses working in COVID-19 or non-COVID-19 medical care units.DesignA cross-sectional mixed-mode survey was used to assess burnout, insomnia, depression, anxiety, and stress.SettingA total of 1,244 physicians and nurses from five general hospitals in Belgium, working in COVID-19 care units (CCU), non-COVID-19 care units (NCCU), or both (CCU + NCCU) were informed of the study.ParticipantsSix hundred forty-seven healthcare workers participated in the survey (response rate = 52%).MeasurementsValidated instruments were used to assess the outcomes: the PFI (burnout/professional fulfillment), the ISI (insomnia), and the DASS-21 (depression, anxiety, and stress).ResultsResults showed high prevalence of burnout, insomnia, depression, and anxiety among participants. After adjusting for confounders, multivariate analysis of variance showed no differences between CCU, NCCU, and CCU + NCCU workers. Univariate general linear models showed higher level of burnout, insomnia, and anxiety among nurses in comparison to physicians. Being a nurse, young, isolated, with an increased workload were risk factors for worse mental health outcomes.LimitationsThe mental health of the tested sample, before the outbreak, is unknown. Moreover, this cross-sectional design provides no information on the evolution of the mental health outcomes over time.ConclusionDirectly caring for patients with COVID-19 is not associated with worse mental health outcomes among healthcare workers in general hospitals. High prevalence of burnout, insomnia, depression, and anxiety among physicians and nurses requires special attention, and specific interventions need to be ...