Psychological impact of COVID-19 pandemic on health care workers of tertiary care hospitals

M.J.  Khan; B.  Jamil; Haroon M.Z.

doi:10.26641/2307-0404.2022.1.254325

Authors

M.J. Khan Ayub Medical College, Abbottabad, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3519-1914
B. Jamil Institute of Health Professions Education and Research Peshawar, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan
Haroon M.Z. Ayub Medical College, Abbottabad, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.26641/2307-0404.2022.1.254325

Keywords:

psychological, COVID-19, health personnel, pandemics, GHQ-28

Abstract

Healthcare workers (HCWs) are at increased risk of mental health issues when faced with the challenges associated with pandemics. This study was conducted to assess the psychological impact of pandemic on HCWs working in tertiary care hospitals of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. This cross-sectional study was conducted between April & June 2020. By convenience sampling an electronic form of Goldberg General Health Questionnaire was distributed among HCWs of the private sector and public tertiary care hospitals. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 22. Inferential analysis was done. The significant level was considered at p=<0.05. Total of 186 HCWs among which 105 (56.5%) males and 81 (43.5%) females participated in the survey, a mean age of 37.6±9.28 years. The highest prevalence was found for social dysfunction 184 (97.8%) followed by somatization, 169 (92.8%). Significance of difference was found between age group and anxiety (p=0.018), specialty of HCWs with somatization and social dysfunction (p=0.041 and 0.037 respectively). Pandemic poses a significant risk for the mental health of HCWs. During pandemics at its peak, proper mental health support program, personal and family protection assurance is highly recommended for provision of quality care by HCWs.

References

Spoorthy MS, Pratapa SK, Mahant S. Mental health problems faced by healthcare workers due to the COVID-19 pandemic-A review. Asian J Psychiatr 2020;51:102119. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajp.2020.102119

Marshall RD, Bryant RA, Amsel L, et al. The psychology of ongoing threat: relative risk appraisal, the September 11 attacks, and terrorism-related fears. Am Psychol. 2007;62:304-16. doi: https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.62.4.304

Preti E, Di Mattei V, Perego G, et al. The Psychological Impact of Epidemic and Pandemic Outbreaks on Healthcare Workers: Rapid Review of the Evidence. Curr Psychiatry Rep. 2020;22:43. doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11920-020-01166-z

Lee SM, Kang WS, Cho A-R, et al. Psychological impact of the 2015 MERS outbreak on hospital workers and quarantined hemodialysis patients. Compr Psychiatry. 2018;87:123-7. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.comppsych.2018.10.003

Um DH, Kim JS, Lee HW, et al. Psychological Effects on Medical Doctors from the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) Outbreak: A Comparison of Whether They Worked at the MERS Occurred Hospital or Not, and Whether They Participated in MERS Diagnosis and Treatment. J Korean Neuropsychiatr Assoc 2017;56:28-34. doi: https://doi.org/10.4306/jknpa.2017.56.1.28

Temsah M-H, Al-Sohime F, Alamro N, et al. The psychological impact of COVID-19 pandemic on health care workers in a MERS-CoV endemic country. J Infect Public Health. 2020;13:877-82. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jiph.2020.05.021

Tricco AC, Langlois EV, Straus SE. Rapid reviews to strengthen health policy and systems: a practical guide; 2017.

Lai J, Ma S, Wang Y, et al. Factors Associated With Mental Health Outcomes Among Health Care Workers Exposed to Coronavirus Disease 2019. JAMA Netw open. 2020;3:e203976. doi: https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2020.3976

Pollán M, Pérez-Gómez B, Pastor-Barriuso R, et al. Prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 in Spain (ENE-COVID): a nationwide, population-based seroepidemiological study. Lancet. 2020 July.

doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(20)31483-5

Sandesh R, Shahid W, Manhan N, et al. The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health of healthcare professionals. QJM. 2020;12:3-7. doi: https://doi.org/10.1093/qjmed/hcaa207

Ornell F, Halpern SC, Kessler FHP, Narvaez JCM. The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health of healthcare professionals. Cad Saude Pub¬lica. 2020 Apr 30;36(4):e00063520. PMID: 32374807.

doi: https://doi.org/10.1590/0102-311x00063520

Liang Y, Chen M, Zheng X, et al. Screening for Chinese medical staff mental health by SDS and SAS during the outbreak of COVID-19. Journal of psychosomatic research. 2020;133:110102. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpsychores.2020.110102

Goldberg D. Manual of the general health questionnaire. Nfer Nelson; 1978. doi: https://doi.org/10.1037/t16058-000

Romans-Clarkson SE, Walton VA, Herbison GP, et al. Validity of the GHQ-28 in New Zealand women. Aust N Z J Psychiatry. 1989;23:187-96. doi: https://doi.org/10.3109/00048678909062135

Cruz SP, Cruz JC, Cabrera JH, Abellán MV. Factors related to the probability of suffering mental health problems in emergency care professionals. Rev Lat Am Enfermagem. 2019 Apr 29;27:e3144. PMID: 31038637; PMCID: PMC6528638. doi: https://doi.org/10.1590/1518-8345.3079-3144

Jackson C. The general health questionnaire. Occup Med (Chic Ill). 2007;57:79. doi: https://doi.org/10.1093/occmed/kql169

Goldberg DP, Hillier VF. A scaled version of the General Health Questionnaire. Psychol Med. 1979;9:139-45. doi: https://doi.org/10.1017/S0033291700021644

Goldberg DP, Williams Paul DPM. A user’s guide to the General Health Questionnaire. Windsor, Berks: NFER-Nelson; 1988.

Farahangiz S, Mohebpour F, Salehi A. Assessment of Mental Health among Iranian Medical Students: A Cross-Sectional Study. Int J Health Sci (Qassim). 2016;10:49-55. doi: https://doi.org/10.12816/0031216

Walton M, Murray E, Christian MD. Mental health care for medical staff and affiliated healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Eur Hear journal Acute Cardiovasc care. 2020;9:241-47. doi: https://doi.org/10.1177/2048872620922795

Taghinejad H, Suhrabi Z, Kikhavani S, et al. Occupational Mental Health: A Study of Work-Related Men¬tal Health among Clinical Nurses. J Clin Diagn Res. 2014;8:WC01-WC3. doi: https://doi.org/10.7860/JCDR/2014/8247.4835

Chan AOM, Huak CY. Psychological impact of the 2003 severe acute respiratory syndrome outbreak on health care workers in a medium size regional general hospital in Singapore. Occup Med (Chic Ill). 2004;54:190-6. doi: https://doi.org/10.1093/occmed/kqh027

Momeni M, Fahim F, Vahidi E, Nejati A, Saeedi M. Evaluation of factors affecting psychological morbidity in emergency medicine practitioners. World J Emerg Med. 2016;7(3):203-7. PMID: 27547280; PMCID: PMC4988110. doi: https://doi.org/10.5847/wjem.j.1920-8642.2016.03.007

Cai H, Tu B, Ma J, et al. Psychological Impact and Coping Strategies of Frontline Medical Staff in Hunan Between January and March 2020 During the Outbreak of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID‑19) in Hubei, China. Med Sci Monit. 2020;26:e924171-e924171. doi: https://doi.org/10.12659/MSM.924171

El-Gilany A-H, Amr M, Hammad S. Perceived stress among male medical students in Egypt and Saudi Arabia: effect of sociodemographic factors. Ann Saudi Med. 2008;28:442-8. doi: https://doi.org/10.5144/0256-4947.2008.442