Mental Health Symptoms and Workplace Challenges among Australian Paramedics during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

Background: Paramedics are vital to the health system response to the COVID-19 pandemic; however, the pressures on this workforce have been intense and challenging. This study reports on mental health symptoms and the working environment among Australian paramedics during the COVID-19 pandemic and explores their experiences of work and wellbeing during this time. Methods: An anonymous, online survey of frontline healthcare workers examined work environment, psychological wellbeing, and contained four open-ended qualitative items. Using a mixed method approach, quantitative data were analysed descriptively and qualitative data were analysed using content analysis. Results: This paper reports findings from 95 paramedics who provided complete quantitative data and 85 paramedics who provided free-text responses to at least one qualitative item. Objectively measured mental health symptoms were common among paramedics, and almost two thirds of paramedics self-reported experiencing burnout. Qualitative analysis highlighted key issues of safety and risk in the workplace, uncertainty and upheaval at work and at home, and lack of crisis preparedness. Qualitative analysis revealed four themes; ‘the pervasiveness of COVID-19 disruptions across all life domains’; ‘the challenges of widespread disruption at work’; ‘risk, uncertainty and feeling unsafe at work’, and ‘the challenges of pandemic (un)preparedness across the health system’. Conclusions: The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in considerable occupational disruption for paramedics and was associated with significant negative impacts on mental health. Findings emphasise the need for more adaptive working conditions, mental health support for paramedics, and enhanced crisis preparedness across the health system for future crises.

Reply: Hearing the voices of Australian frontline healthcare workers during the COVID‐19 pandemic

“…Qualitative content analyses from the ACFHWS survey highlighted key issues regarding workplace safety and risk, uncertainty and upheaval at work and at home and the lack of crisis preparedness, which affected health professionals universally across disciplines and areas of work. 4 These findings align with Marcellin et al's comments that ‘a broader reflection needs to be pursued to build long‐term responses that consider healthcare workers quality of working life, experiences, needs and expectations’.…”

Barriers to, and enablers of, paramedics responding to suspected or confirmed COVID-19 cases: An integrative review

“…While discussing communication, both Boechler et al [28] . and Petrie et al [24] ., found leadership challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic. A common theme related to a disconnect between management and staff, resulting in lower morale and resilience.…”

“…found that the most common source of information for health professionals was the state or territory Department of Health website, and paramedics’ second most common source of information was their organisations’ emails. Paramedics had concerns that the volume of communication, which may have been warranted due to the rapidly changing environment, quickly became overwhelming and contributed to information overload [24] , [27] .…”

“…Whittemore and Knafl [23] explain that an integrative review allows the use of experimental and non-experimental research, as well as data from theoretical and empirical literature. Given Petrie et al [24] . identified that paramedics are underrepresented in research on the impacts of COVID-19, the ability to access and incorporate findings from a wide range of studies is useful.…”

Factors Affecting Nurses’ Health Promotion Behavior during the COVID-19 Pandemic Based on the Information–Motivation–Behavioral Skills Model

“…Health care workers are responsible for attending to suspected and confirmed cases of COVID-19 [4]. Nurses, in particular, are highly vulnerable to infection because they have the most direct contact with patients and caregivers.…”