(800) 526-OPYS Pay my bill Member login
logo
  • Hospital Solutions
    • Emergency Medicine
    • Hospital Medicine
    • Post Acute Care
    • Urgent Care
    • Telemedicine
  • Join our Team
    • Physicians
    • Advanced Practitioners
    • Career Opportunities
  • About OPYS
    • Experienced Group
    • Metrics & Outcomes
    • Throughout the US
    • Quality Patient Care
    • Clinical Performance
    • Qualified Providers
    • Company Profile
    • Leadership Team
    • Mission Statement
    • Reviews
  • News
  • Contact Us

Protecting the Psychological Health of Nurses During Pandemics

Home > COVID-19 > Protecting the Psychological Health of Nurses During Pandemics

Protecting the Psychological Health of Nurses During Pandemics

June 25, 2020

As U.S. deaths from COVID-19 continue to rise, the research community is beginning to focus some attention on the psychological impact of the pandemic on healthcare workers who cared for patients on the frontlines. Given that previous pandemics have led to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) as well as other forms of anxiety and depression, there is concern that we may see the mental health of the workers confronted with COVID-19 deteriorate in both the short and long-term.

Previous work has shown that virus outbreaks often psychologically affect nurses more than physicians. In the case of COVID-19, there are unique circumstances that may make caring for patients even more stressful than what has occurred with other outbreaks. For instance, nurses are experiencing guilt after watching patients die alone and after having to inform family members of the condition or death of their loved ones via technology rather than in-person.

Adding to their potential anxiety, nurses have felt helpless as they have struggled to obtain the personal protective equipment (PPE) to protect themselves from the virus and in many cases had to work without such protection. Their personal lives have also taken the same hit as most Americans’, which includes the loss of at least part of their social support system and potentially also the logistical hassles of the loss of childcare or easy access to daily necessities like food.

Fortunately, leaders in healthcare are working to translate the research findings related to the psychological toll of COVID-19 on nurses, hospital physicians, and other healthcare workers to action plans that can help to prevent long-term psychological trauma and mitigate any factors that may increase the likelihood of long-term suffering. For example, based on data showing that nurses display lower levels of anxiety if they are provided with enough physical protection and are not overworked, measures are being implemented to demonstrate that protective measures are in place to prevent the spread of the virus at work and to ensure that workers’ hours can be reduced.

Specific tools to help reduce mental health risks of healthcare workers are also being deployed. As researchers gain more knowledge of the factors leading to psychological suffering in healthcare workers caring for patients during pandemics, these tools will likely become more effective and my help to prevent some of the psychological trauma in the case of a future outbreak.

 

References

 

  1. Santarone K, McKenney M, Elkbuli A. Preserving mental health and resilience in frontline healthcare workers during COVID-19. Am J Emerg Med. April 2020. doi:10.1016/j.ajem.2020.04.030
  2. Straus SE, Wilson K, Rambaldini G, et al. Severe acute respiratory syndrome and its impact on professionalism: qualitativestudy of physicians’ behaviour during an emerging healthcare crisis. BMJ. 2004;329(7457):83. doi:10.1136/bmj.38127.444838.63
  3. Styra R, Hawryluck L, Robinson S, Kasapinovic S, Fones C, Gold WL. Impact on health care workers employed in high-risk areas during the Toronto SARS outbreak. J Psychosom Res. 2008;64(2):177-183. doi:10.1016/j.jpsychores.2007.07.015
  4. 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. April 2020:2048872620922795. doi:10.1177/2048872620922795
  5. Spoorthy MS. Mental health problems faced by healthcare workers due to the COVID-19 pandemic-A review. Asian J Psychiatr. 2020;51:102119. doi:10.1016/j.ajp.2020.102119
  6. Khalid I, Khalid TJ, Qabajah MR, Barnard AG, Qushmaq IA. Healthcare workers emotions, perceived stressors and coping strategies during a MERS-CoV outbreak. Clin Med Res. 2016;14(1):7-14. doi:10.3121/cmr.2016.1303
  7. Blake H, Bermingham F, Johnson G, Tabner A. Mitigating the psychological impact of COVID-19 on healthcare workers: A digitallearning package. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2020;17(9). doi:10.3390/ijerph17092997

 

Filed Under: COVID-19, Hospital Physicians, Hospitalists, Patient Care, Public Health Tagged With: Coronavirus, COVID-19, Health care, hospital based physicians, Hospital Physician, Hospital Physicians, Hospitalist Physician, patient care, Symptoms of coronavirus

Search

Categories

  • Best Practice
  • Cardiologists
  • COVID-19
  • Emergency Physicians
  • General
  • Health Technology
  • Hospital Physicians
  • Hospitalists
  • New Job Opportunities
  • Patient Care
  • Physician Job
  • Physician Services News
  • Public Health
  • Reimbursement
  • Women's Health

Archives

  • March 2021
  • February 2021
  • January 2021
  • December 2020
  • September 2020
  • July 2020
  • June 2020
  • May 2020
  • April 2020
  • March 2020
  • February 2020
  • December 2017
  • March 2017
  • June 2016
  • August 2015
  • December 2011
  • November 2011
  • October 2011
  • September 2011
  • August 2011
  • July 2011
  • June 2011
  • May 2011
  • April 2011
  • March 2011
  • February 2011

We’d Love to Hear From You,
Get In Touch With Us!

logo

Quality, efficient, patient-centered healthcare through experienced medical leadership, communication, and collaboration in the provision of hospital-based physician outsourcing services.

Our Services
  • Emergency Medicine
  • Hospital Medicine
  • Post Acute Care
  • Urgent Care
  • Telemedicine
OPYS Advantage
  • Our Team
  • Investor Relations
  • Career Opportunities
Contact
Corporate Office 

One Indiana Square, Suite 2060
Indianapolis, IN 46204

Southern Region 

7119 Afton Drive, Suite 101A
Knoxville, TN 37918

Phone: (800) 526-6797
Fax: (800) 456-6148
Email: info@opys.com

Copyright © 2021. All rights reserved I Site Map I Privacy Policy I Terms and Use

Digital Marketing by