Original title: A rapid review of the impact of COVID-19 on the mental health of healthcare workers: implications for supporting psychological well-being
The review brings together studies of health and social care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. It found that nurses and staff in close contact with patients may face greater risks to their mental health. Fear of infection, concern about family, and not having enough protective equipment were also linked to risk. Support at work, good knowledge, and resilienceThe ability to cope with difficulty and recover from stress. may help protect workers. Most studies focused on urban hospitals, and none studied social care workers.
Imagine a busy kitchen during a rush, where some cooks work right beside a hot stove while others prepare food farther away. The cooks closest to the heat face more danger, but they also need proper gear and support; focusing only on the kitchen leaves out people doing related work elsewhere. In this paper, the cooks are health workers, the heat is exposure to COVID-19, and the missing workplaces are social care settings the studies did not examine.
Healthcare and social care workers need support that matches the pressures they face. The review points to risks such as fear of infection and lack of protective equipment, while warning that hospital-focused evidence leaves other workers out.
The evidence was inconsistent and came mostly from China and urban hospitals. The review found no studies on social care staff and no comparison between nurses and primary care workers. It therefore cannot establish how risks differ across all health and social care settings.
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A rapid review of the impact of COVID-19 on the mental health of healthcare workers: implications for supporting psychological well-being — Johannes Hendrikus De Kock, Helen Ann Latham, Stephen James Leslie et al. — BMC Public Health — doi:10.1186/s12889-020-10070-3
Abstract licence: CC BY
Explanation generated by Synthesis from the abstract — it is not the original paper.