Exploring the Well-being of Health Care Workers During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Protocol for a Prospective Longitudinal Study (Preprint)

Abstract

BACKGROUND Healthcare workers (HCWs) have experienced several stressors associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. Structural stressors, including extended work hours, re-deployment, and changes in organizational mandates often intersect with interpersonal and personal stressors, such as caring for those with COVID-19 infections, worrying about infection to self, family and loved ones, working despite shortages of personal protective equipment, and encountering various difficult moral-ethical dilemmas. OBJECTIVE The paper describes the protocol for a longitudinal study seeking to capture the unique experiences, challenges, and changes faced by HCWs during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study seeks to explore: (a) the impact of COVID-19 on the mental well-being of HCWs with a particular focus on moral distress, and (b) perceptions and satisfaction with delivery of care, and (c) how changes in work structure are tolerated among HCWs providing clinical services. METHODS A prospective longitudinal design is employed to assess HCWs’ experiences across domains of mental health (depression, anxiety, posttraumatic stress, and well-being), moral distress and moral reasoning, work-related changes and telehealth, organizational responses to COVID-19 concerns, and experiences with COVID-19 infections to self and to others. We recruited HCWs from across Canada through convenience snowball sampling to participate in either a short-form or long-form online survey at baseline. Respondents to the baseline survey are invited to complete a follow-up survey every three months, for a total of 18 months. RESULTS A total of 1926 participants completed baseline surveys between June 26, 2020, and December 31, 2020, and 1859 participants provided their emails for contact to participate in follow-up surveys. As of July 2021, data collection is ongoing, with participants nearing the 6 or 9-month follow-up periods depending on their initial time of self-enrollment. CONCLUSIONS The current protocol describes a study that will provide unique insights into the immediate and longitudinal impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on dimensions of mental health, moral distress, healthcare delivery, and workplace environment in HCWs. The feasibility and acceptability of implementing a short-form and long-form survey on participant engagement and data retention will also be discussed.

The mediating roles of workplace support and ethical work environment in associations between leadership and moral distress: a longitudinal study of Canadian health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic

“…A total of 237 English and 2 French-speaking HCWs across Canada were included as participants in this longitudinal study. HCWs were defined as individuals "who provide health treatment and advice based on formal training and experience, or who work to directly support those providers in a clinical setting (Liu et al, 2021). " To be eligible to participate, HCWs were required to be at least 18 years of age or older and employed (or previously employed) as a HCW in Canada between the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic and the baseline data collection end date (December 31, 2020).…”

“…This study was approved by the Health Science Research Ethics Board at Western University (#115894) and Lawson Health Research Institute (#9968). A detailed protocol of study procedures is available (Liu et al, 2021). We used a convenience snowball sampling approach to recruit Canadian HCWs.…”

“…An additional limitation reflects the convenience sampling method of data collection. We recruited participants using word of mouth, emails to professional networks, social media advertisements, and a participant recruitment website (Liu et al, 2021). It is, therefore, plausible that HCWs were more likely to sign up to participate if they had encountered stressors in the workplace and wanted an outlet for sharing their perspectives.…”