Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic has led to significant re-organisation of healthcare delivery in hospitals, with repercussions on all professionals working in healthcare. We aimed to assess the impact of the pandemic on the mental health of professionals working in health care institutions and to identify individual and environmental factors influencing the risk of mental health disorders. From 4 June to 22 September 2020, a total of 4370 professionals responded to an online questionnaire evaluating psychological distress, severity of post-traumatic stress symptoms, stress factors, and coping strategies. About 57% of the professionals suffered from psychological distress, and 21% showed symptoms of potential post-traumatic stress. Professionals working in radiology, those working in quality/hygiene/security and nurses' aides were the most affected groups. The media focus on the crisis, and a high workload were the most prevalent stress factors, followed by uncertainty regarding the possibility of containing the epidemic, the constantly changing hygiene recommendations/protocols, and the lack of personal protective equipment. The use of coping strategies, notably positive thinking, helped to mitigate the relation between perceived stress and mental health disorders. The COVID-19 pandemic has had far-reaching negative repercussions for all professionals, with some sectors more markedly affected. To prevent mental health disorders in professionals during a public health crisis, support services and management strategies within hospitals should take account of the importance of positive thinking and social support.
Highlights
During the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in France, there was a profound re-organisation of healthcare delivery in hospitals in France in order to cope with the massive influx of patients
Numerous studies have investigated the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on healthcare workers in units dedicated to the care of COVID-19 patients, reporting high levels of anxiety, depression, burnout, insomnia and psychological distress [5,6,7,8,9,10]
The COVID-19 pandemic has had a marked psychological impact on all professionals working in healthcare establishments in France, notably due to increased stress related to the pandemic
Summary
During the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in France, there was a profound re-organisation of healthcare delivery in hospitals in France in order to cope with the massive influx of patients. Interpersonal relations were affected, with reduced contact between staff (forbidden to gather for coffee/meal breaks etc), and between teams from different wards or departments (to avoid possible clusters of COVID-19 infections) In addition to these farreaching, and sudden changes to the work organisation, many healthcare workers lacked adequate personal protective equipment (PPE) and many units were under-staffed, especially in the zones that were hardest hit at the beginning of the first wave, jeopardizing optimal management of patients and optimal protection of healthcare workers from possible contamination [1,2]. New recommendations about working conditions in healthcare establishments [18,19] underline that workers across all professions have been affected, and those working directly with COVID-19 patients
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