Abstract
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic poses a challenge to the physical and mental well-being of doctors worldwide. Countries around the world introduced severe social restrictions, and significant changes to health service provision in the first wave of the pandemic to suppress the spread of the virus and prioritize healthcare for those who contracted it. This study interviewed 48 hospital doctors who worked in Ireland during the first wave of the pandemic and investigated their conceptualizations of their own well-being during that time (March–May 2020). Doctors were interviewed via Zoom™ or telephone. Interview transcripts were analyzed using structured thematic analysis. Five composite narratives are presented which have been crafted to illustrate themes and experiences emerging from the data. This study found that despite the risks of contracting COVID-19, many doctors saw some improvements to their physical well-being in the first wave of the pandemic. However, most also experienced a decline in their mental well-being due to anxiety, emotional exhaustion, guilt, isolation and poor support. These findings shed light on doctor well-being during COVID-19, and the ways in which they have been affected by the pandemic, both professionally and personally. The paper concludes by highlighting how doctors’ work life and well-being can be better supported during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.
Highlights
The onset of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic saw global reporting about frontline health workers, including doctors, battling the virus
Hayes et al found that one-third of hospital doctors in Ireland were suffering from burnout [14], and Humphries et al found that 73% of hospital doctors in Ireland had a strained work–life balance and high levels of work-family conflict [15]
The COVID-19 pandemic began in Ireland when Sean was in the final months of medical school, and he was fast-tracked into an intern post to help the pandemic efforts
Summary
The onset of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic saw global reporting about frontline health workers, including doctors, battling the virus. Beds per 100,000 people, almost half the European average [13] Linked to this strain, for many years prior to COVID-19, Ireland’s doctors’ well-being was already reported to be poor, with high levels of emotional exhaustion, burnout and poor work–life balance. Hayes et al found that one-third of hospital doctors in Ireland were suffering from burnout [14], and Humphries et al found that 73% of hospital doctors in Ireland had a strained work–life balance and high levels of work-family conflict [15]. In both cases these findings compared unfavorably to findings in studies of doctors in other countries [16,17,18]
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