Predictors of stress among emergency medical personnel during the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

Objectives: The COVID-19 pandemic has forced emergency services to implement new standards of practice around the world. The dynamic and unpredictable nature of many clinical situations has placed emergency service personnel in direct danger of contracting the disease. This work uses a validated survey developed for the study to assess the predictors of stress that paramedics, nurses and doctors experience in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic. Material and Methods: The study group included 955 medical staff, and the level of significance adopted for statistical analysis was p = 0.05. Non-parametric Mann-Whitney and Kruskal-Wallis tests were used to analyze the qualitative variables divided into groups. The selection of tests was carried out based on the distribution of variables, verified using the Shapiro-Wilk test. In order to determine the predictors that caused the feelings of stress, it was necessary to use the linear regression model. Results: During the COVID-19 pandemic, stress among emergency medical personnel has increased considerably due to new factors that did not previously exist. The predictors of stress in the professional environment include the fear of contracting COVID-19, a decrease in the level of safety while conducting emergency medical procedures, and the marginalization of treatment for patients not suffering from COVID-19. Additional socio-demographic factors that increase stress among emergency medical personnel are being female and working in the nursing profession. Appropriate training, the supply of personal protective equipment and opinions on the preparedness of the system to deal with the outbreak of the pandemic did not affect the level of stress among health service personnel. Conclusions: The factors that can be considered to act as predictors of occupational stress include the fear of contracting COVID-19, a decrease in the level of safety and security while conducting emergency medical procedures, and the marginalization of patients not suffering from COVID-19. Int J Occup Med Environ Health. 2021;34(2)

Psychological Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Out-of-Hospital Health Professionals: A Living Systematic Review

“…The designs of most of the selected research ( n = 16) were of the descriptive cross-sectional type [ 52 , 54 , 55 , 56 , 57 , 59 , 60 , 61 , 62 , 63 , 64 , 65 , 66 , 67 , 68 , 69 ], except in the case of the 4 remaining studies in which a qualitative methodology was used [ 51 , 53 , 58 , 70 ]. With regard to their geographic distribution, the studies were completed in regions and countries with important differences in the organization of their health systems: Italy ( n = 6) [ 56 , 63 , 64 , 65 , 66 , 67 ], Germany ( n = 2) [ 52 , 59 ], Spain ( n = 2) [ 57 , 61 ], Turkey ( n = 2) [ 55 , 62 ], Belgium ( n = 1) [ 68 ], India ( n = 1) [ 53 ], Iran ( n = 1) [ 51 ], Pakistan ( n = 1) [ 58 ], Poland ( n = 1) [ 54 ], Russia ( n = 1) [ 60 ], and the United States ( n = 1) [ 69 ]. It is worth mentioning that professionals from four different countries (Canada, Ireland, Kenya and the United States) participated in one of the qualitative studies [ 70 ].…”

“…Other results such as fear, sleep quality, resilience level, and substance abuse were not objects of evaluation in the present review, despite having been recurrent topics in the works under analysis. In most studies, the area of work was considered yet another secondary variable, including all the HPs regardless of the area in which they might work [ 54 , 55 , 56 , 59 , 60 , 61 , 63 , 64 , 65 , 66 , 67 , 68 ]. No great differences were found in the inclusion and exclusion criteria under consideration.…”

“…In the descriptive, cross-sectional studies, the participants were selected through non-probabilistic convenience sampling based on voluntary participation. In all of them, except in one, data collection was done through the completion of an online survey distributed through the principal social networks (Facebook ® , Instagram ® , LinkedIn ® , Twitter ® , WhatsApp ® ), email lists, and specialized fora and web pages of public organizations and thematic communities [ 52 , 54 , 55 , 56 , 57 , 59 , 60 , 61 , 63 , 64 , 65 , 66 , 67 , 68 , 69 ]. Among all the quantitative investigations, the study of Usul et al was the only one that decided to conduct personal interviews with each of the participants as a data-collection method [ 62 ].…”

The Social Lives of Infectious Diseases: Why Culture Matters to COVID-19

“…However, higher levels of education seemed to correlate with higher reports of depressive symptoms and lower levels of life satisfaction at the beginning of the pandemic, particularly in the US (Wanberg et al, 2020 ). In different countries, health professionals, particularly nurses, have experienced increased levels of stress (Barzilay et al, 2020 ; Ilczak et al, 2020 ).…”

The Impact of Working Conditions on Stress and Its Effects in the Group of Paramedics: A Systematic Review

“…At the turn of 2019 and 2020, working conditions were also worsened by the COVID-19 pandemic. As Ilczak indicates the COVID-19 pandemic, stress among emergency medical personnel has increased considerably due to sudden new factors like the fear of contracting COVID-19, a decrease in the level of safety while conducting emergency medical procedures, and the marginalization of treatment for patients not suffering from COVID-19 (Ilczak et al, 2021). During the past 1,5 years dealing with COVID-19 has put increased stress on paramedics (Hayes et al, 2020).…”