Frontline medical professionals in distress - “Doctor heal thyself”

Abstract

• According to a recent study by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), more than half of public health workers have reported symptoms of at least one mental health condition like depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in the recent past (The Weather Channel, 2021, June 30). • A recent study among 422 doctors revealed 63.5% symptoms of depression, and 45% symptoms of stress, among frontline COVID-19 doctors ( Das et al., 2020 ). • A cross-sectional survey of 200 healthcare professionals in India found that healthcare professionals were suffering from acute stress (9.5%), depression (17%), and anxiety (19.5%) which they attributed to the negative professional and personal influence of the ongoing pandemic scenario ( Sharma et al., 2020 ). • The health care sector is the most affected as the pandemic surges ahead of the second wave with new variants. There have been instances of the medical system collapsing multiple times due to the overwhelming number of COVID cases. The health care workers constantly have a fear of infecting their loved ones. • The long working hours coupled with fear and uncertainty have led to job stress and burnout among health care professionals. • This article provides a few strategies for hospital administrators to help medical professionals overcome stress during pandemics. Covid has changed our lives in many ways. People are scared to even step out of their houses, but health care workers have no option but to continue to work and care for the sick. Health care workers play a vital role in providing care to the infected persons, working beyond their capacities and risking their own lives. There is a lot of stress involved in the medical profession, and the pandemic made it worse. Each frontline health worker is at risk of getting infected with Covid during work and carrying it to their families, causing a lot of anxiety and mental health issues among the health care workers. According to a recent by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), more than half of public health workers have reported symptoms of at least one mental health condition like depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in the recent past. A recent study among 422 doctors revealed 63.5% symptoms of depression, and 45% symptoms of stress, among frontline COVID-19 doctors. Physicians who perceived organizational problems related to procedural and informational justice were exposed to high levels of occupational stress. Every physician should have a personal doctor, and he or she has to seek suitable help as needed. The health care workers' stress is mainly associated with work stress as they are expected to work on a war footing and get very little time to spend with their families. There is a need to set up good psychiatric care for the medical professionals in the hospitals. The administrators of the hospitals should frequently check on the health and well-being of their employees. This article attempts to provide strategies to hospital administrators to help medical professionals reduce their stress levels.