COVID-19 Pandemic and the Mental Health of Health Care Workers: Awareness to Action

The implications of COVID-19 on health and social care personnel in long-term care facilities for older people: An international scoping review

This scoping review mapped out the existing literature pertaining to health and social care personnel experiences during the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and their work in a long-term care setting for older people. This review identified the gaps in the implications of health and social care personnel's own health and well-being during the pandemic as well as the ethical dilemmas inherent in providing care during the COVID-19 pandemic. The authors utilised the PRISMA checklist for undertaking scoping reviews. The Databases Medline, PsychINFO, CINAHL, SCOPUS, Web of Science and Google Scholar were searched for relevant articles in English that were published between March 28, 2020 and June 1, 2022. This time period was selected to focus specifically on the COVID-19 pandemic. In the context of this review, long-term care facilities were defined to include institutions such as nursing homes, skilled nursing facilities, retirement homes and residential care homes. The gaps identified were a paucity of research on the experiences of health and social care personnel in long-term care facilities, the impact on their mental health, and the wider challenges experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic is discussed. The findings of this scoping review indicate a need for adequate preparedness during a pandemic within the health and social care sector to protect health and social care personnel and the individuals they care for.

A survey of anxiety and burnout in the radiology workforce of a tertiary hospital during the COVID-19 pandemic

Introduction

We aimed to study anxiety and burnout among Division of Radiological Sciences (RADSC) staff during the COVID‐19 pandemic and identify potential risk and protective factors. These outcomes were compared with non‐RADSC staff.

Methods

A cross‐sectional online study was conducted between 12 March and 20 July 2020 in the largest public tertiary hospital receiving COVID‐19 cases. Burnout and anxiety were assessed with the Physician Work‐Life Scale and the Generalized Anxiety Disorder‐7 Scale, respectively. Workplace factors were examined as potential risk and protective factors using multivariable ordinary least squares regression analyses, adjusting for pertinent demographic characteristics.

Results

RADSC staff (n = 180) and non‐RADSC staff (n = 1458) demonstrated moderate‐to‐severe anxiety rates of 6.7 and 13.2 % and burnout rates of 17.8 and 23.9 %, respectively. RADSC staff reported significantly lower anxiety (mean ± SD: 4.0 ± 3.7 vs 4.9 ± 4.5; P‐value < 0.05), burnout (mean ± SD: 1.9 ± 0.7 vs 2.1 ± 0.8; P‐value < 0.01), increased teamwork (82.2% vs 74.1%; P‐value < 0.05) and fewer night shifts (36.7% vs 41.1%; P‐value < 0.01). Among RADSC staff, higher job dedication was associated with lower anxiety (b (95% CI) = −0.28 (−0.45, −0.11)) and burnout (b (95% CI) = −0.07 (−0.11,‐0.04)), while longer than usual working hours was associated with increased anxiety (b (95% CI) = 1.42 (0.36, 2.45)) and burnout (b (95% CI) = 0.28 (0.09, 0.48)).

Conclusions

A proportion of RADSC staff reported significant burnout and anxiety, although less compared to the larger hospital cohort. Measures to prevent longer than usual work hours and increase feelings of enthusiasm and pride in one’s job may further reduce the prevalence of anxiety problems and burnout in radiology departments.