Mental Health Outcomes Among British Healthcare Workers—Lessons From the First Wave of the Covid-19 Pandemic

Abstract

Objective: To ascertain the level of psychological distress, using validated psychology tools, among British National healthcare workers (HCW) during the first wave of the Covid-19 crisis. Methods: A multi-centre, anonymized, all-comer staff survey across 3 hospitals in Lancashire, England during the Covid-19 first wave (April to June 2020), consisting of Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9), Perceived Stress Scale-10 (PSS-10), Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7), and Impact of Events Scale (IES-6). Results: Among 1113 HCW, median (IQR) PHQ-9, GAD-7, PSS-10, and IES-6 score was 7 (3 to 11), 6 (3 to 11), 19 (13 to 24), and 9 (5 to 14), respectively. Potential predictors of higher levels of psychological distress included living alone, disabled dependents, history of depression/anxiety, and being female. Conclusions: The study indicates a high prevalence of psychological distress during the acute Covid-19 period among HCW, identifies groups at risk and areas of future research.

Health care workers' perceptions of their hospitals’ preparedness during the COVID-19 virus pandemic in three different world regions

“…The first and second waves of the COVID pandemic carried so much panic, stress, and anxiety for healthcare providers. 24 , 25 …”

Exploring the impact of COVID‐19 on the psychological well‐being of oncology healthcare professionals

“…Regionally, HCPs working in North West England experienced high levels of psychological distress during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic (Debski et al, 2021). They added that HCPs living alone, having disabled dependents or a history of depression/ anxiety, were at increased risk of stress and anxiety and that resources should be targeted to "at risk" staff groups.…”

“…Burnout, exhaustion and disengagement have been found amongst academic radiographers across Europe due to increased workloads, creating a desire to leave the profession (Knapp et al, 2022). Regionally, HCPs working in North West England experienced high levels of psychological distress during the first wave of the COVID‐19 pandemic (Debski et al, 2021). They added that HCPs living alone, having disabled dependents or a history of depression/ anxiety, were at increased risk of stress and anxiety and that resources should be targeted to “at risk” staff groups.…”

Impact of COVID‐19 on occupational injuries and illnesses among nursing care facility workers: Analysis of California workers' compensation data, 2019–2021

“…10 Numerous studies have reported on the negative impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health and well-being in healthcare workers, with a high or increased prevalence of depression, anxiety, insomnia, stress, posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms, and burnout. [11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24] A recent meta-analysis study reviewed 83 studies on mental health in healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic and reported a pooled prevalence of 41.4% for anxiety, 37.1% for depression, 44.9% for stress, and 43.8% for insomnia. 23 Moreover, several studies reported high or increased prevalence of adverse skin reactions from the prolonged use of PPE.…”

“…However, there has been a paucity of research on how the COVID-19 pandemic affected the risk of occupational injury, whereas considerable research has addressed its negative effects on mental health in healthcare workers. [11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24] A Turkish study reviewed hospital medical records of patients with occupational accidents between 2019 and 2021, and reported that occupational accidents increased in the healthcare and transportation sectors during the pandemic, while all other sectors showed decreases. 31 To address the data gap, we conducted this study to assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on occupational injury or illness incidence in nursing care facility workers.…”