Worries and concerns among healthcare workers during the coronavirus 2019 pandemic: A web-based cross-sectional survey

Kohei Hasegawa,Hirohisa Endo,Tadahiro Goto,Tadafumi Sugimoto,Yuya Matsue,Takeru Nabeta,Atsushi Kikuchi,Shingo Matsumoto,Hiroyuki Sato,Yuki Sahashi,Kimitaka Nishizaki

doi:10.1057/s41599-021-00716-x

Abstract

Healthcare workers (HCWs) treating and caring for patients with emerging infectious diseases often experience psychological distress. However, the psychological impact and behavior change of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic among HCWs are still unknown. This study aimed to investigate the worries and concerns of HCWs regarding the COVID-19 pandemic. In this cross-sectional survey, a web-based questionnaire was distributed among HCWs working in hospitals or clinics across Japanese medical facilities from April 20 to May 1, 2020. The questionnaire comprised items on demographics, worries and concerns, perceptions regarding the sufficiency of information, and behavioral changes pertaining to the COVID-19 pandemic. A total of 4386 HCWs completed the survey; 1648 (64.7%) were aged 30–39 years, 2379 (54.2%) were male, and 782 (18.1%) were frontline HCWs, directly caring for patients with COVID-19 on a daily basis. 3500 HCWs (79.8%) indicated that they were seriously worried about the pandemic. The most frequent concern was the consequence of becoming infected on their family, work, and society (87.4%). Additionally, the majority (55.5%) had restricted social contact and almost all HCWs endorsed a shortage in personal protective equipment (median, 8/9 (interquartile range; 7–9) on a Likert scale). There was no significant difference in the degree of worry between frontline and non-frontline HCWs (8/9 (7–9) vs. 8/9 (7–9), p = 0.25). Frontline HCWs, compared to non-frontline HCWs, were more likely to have the need to avoid contact with families and friends (24.8% vs. 17.8%, p < 0.001) and indicated that they cannot evade their professional duty during the COVID-19 pandemic (9/9 (7–9) vs. 8/9 (6–9), p < 0.001). Further, the extremely low proportion of frontline HCWs reported that they would take a leave of absence to avoid infection (1.2%). In conclusions, both frontline and non-frontline HCWs expressed comparable concerns regarding the COVID-19 pandemic. Because HCWs, especially frontline HCWs, reported that they cannot be obliged to do avoid their duty, effective mental health protection strategies should be developed and implemented for HCWs.

Highlights

Since the first case of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection was reported in the Wuhan province of China at the end of 2019, the number of confirmed cases and deaths has been increasing worldwide
Previous research suggested that Canadian frontline healthcare workers (HCWs) who experienced SARS outbreaks had significantly higher rates of developing burnout, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and psychological stress at 13–26 months after pandemic compared to HCWs who did not participate in the treatment (Maunder et al 2006)
To address the knowledge gap in the literature, this study aimed to investigate the psychological distress of HCWs regarding the COVID-19 pandemic

Summary

Introduction

Since the first case of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection was reported in the Wuhan province of China at the end of 2019, the number of confirmed cases and deaths has been increasing worldwide. In the context of this unprecedented pandemic, frontline HCWs, who have direct exposures to patients with COVID-19 on a daily basis, are at high risk of developing mental health problems due to concerns regarding the COVID-19 pandemic (An et al, 2020). Previous research suggested that Canadian frontline HCWs who experienced SARS outbreaks had significantly higher rates of developing burnout, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and psychological stress at 13–26 months after pandemic compared to HCWs who did not participate in the treatment (Maunder et al 2006). A systematic review showed that an increased level of exposure in the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as previous Coronavirus outbreaks, is a major risk factor of PTSD and can cause long-term psychological adverse effects (Carmassi et al, 2020)

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