The mental health of laboratory and rehabilitation specialists during COVID-19: A rapid review

Abstract

<abstract><sec> <title>Backgrounds</title> <p>Healthcare workers have experienced considerable stress and burnout during the COVID-19 pandemic. Among these healthcare workers are medical laboratory professionals and rehabilitation specialists, specifically, occupational therapists, and physical therapists, who all perform critical services for the functioning of a healthcare system.</p> </sec><sec> <title>Purpose</title> <p>This rapid review examined the impact of the pandemic on the mental health of medical laboratory professionals (MLPs), occupational therapists (OTs) and physical therapists (PTs) and identified gaps in the research necessary to understand the impact of the pandemic on these healthcare workers.</p> </sec><sec> <title>Methods</title> <p>We systematically searched “mental health” among MLPs, OTs and PTs using three databases (PsycINFO, MEDLINE, and CINAHL).</p> </sec><sec> <title>Results</title> <p>Our search yielded 8887 articles, 16 of which met our criteria. Our results revealed poor mental health among all occupational groups, including burnout, depression, and anxiety. Notably, MLPs reported feeling forgotten and unappreciated compared to other healthcare groups. In general, there is a dearth of literature on the mental health of these occupational groups before and during the pandemic; therefore, unique stressors are not yet uncovered.</p> </sec><sec> <title>Conclusions</title> <p>Our results highlight poor mental health outcomes for these occupational groups despite the dearth of research. In addition to more research among these groups, we recommend that policymakers focus on improving workplace cultures and embed more intrinsic incentives to improve job retention and reduce staff shortage. In future emergencies, providing timely and accurate health information to healthcare workers is imperative, which could also help reduce poor mental health outcomes.</p> </sec></abstract>

Selected determinants of occupational stress and burnout in physiotherapists and IT professionals

“…They indicate the need to include in prevention strategies: promotion of interprofessional relations, clear definition of the role of the physiotherapist, multidisciplinary education, support staff and innovative models of care [32]. Review by Ishaky et al showed that in future emergencies such as a pandemic, providing timely and accurate health information to healthcare professionals is crucial, and will translate into improved mental health outcomes, including stress and burnout [33]. A review by Weenink et al showed that despite including 38 studies on remediation and rehabilitation for healthcare professionals with performance problems (dentists, midwives, nurses, pharmacists, doctors, physiotherapists, psychologists and psychotherapists), comparisons of outcomes between professions and specific performance problems cannot be made.…”

Anxiety and Coping Strategies among Italian-Speaking Physicians: A Comparative Analysis of the Contractually Obligated and Voluntary Care of COVID-19 Patients

“…The findings indicated that direct involvement in the care of COVID-19 patients is associated with higher levels of state anxiety, suggesting that physicians who directly engage with COVID-19 patients may experience heightened stress and emotional strain levels. Research findings have demonstrated a significant incidence of psychological symptoms [36] and burnout [37][38][39][40] among physicians during the COVID-19 pandemic. They exhibited greater symptoms of mental health problems by exceeding clinical thresholds for state anxiety, psychological distress (i.e., depression, anxiety, and stress), post-traumatic stress symptoms, and a high prevalence of burnout (i.e., emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and diminished personal accomplishment) [6,20,40,41].…”

MARGINAL NOTES, June 2023 – running on empty

“…Some were only employed for the duration of the pandemic. It should be no surprise to readers of this journal that medical laboratory scientists have also been prone to the mental health consequences of the pandemic [2]. A recent Canadian survey of medical residents in laboratory medicine found high levels of burnout and depression [3].…”