Symptoms In Healthcare Workers Research Articles

Post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms in healthcare workers: a ten-year systematic review.

Background and aims:Healthcare workers (HCWs) employed in hospital settings frequently experience many occupational stressors leading to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms. Literature has increasingly highlighted PTSD as a major issue that involves both staff and healthcare organizations; the consequences of PTSD may include medication errors and lower standards of care. The current COVID-19 pandemic poses the need for preventing PTSD in HCWs working closely with COVID-19 patients. The purpose of this systematic review was to analyze the latest developments in assessing and managing the occupational risk of PTSD symptoms in hospital HCWs.Methods:We searched for publications in MEDLINE/Pubmed using selected keywords. Each article was reviewed and categorized into one or more of the following four categories based on its subject matter: risk assessment, risk management and occurrence rates.Results:Our search resulted in a total of 32 publications that matched our inclusion criteria. Increased years of service, older age, previous year exposure to violence, personality traits (i.e. neuroticism), history of mental disorders, being non-graduates, were found to be workers’ pre-trauma factors predicting PTSD symptoms.Conclusions:The findings suggest the need to prioritize preventative interventions aimed to anticipate the effects of traumatic exposure by training HCWs in evidence based anticipatory methods of coping with stressful events. With regard to the current COVID-19 pandemic, we found evidence of the need to strength social support and training targeted at psychological skills of medical staff who treated COVID-19 patients. (www.actabiomedica.it)

The Impact of COVID-19 on Spanish Health Professionals: A Description of Physical and Psychological Effects

<b>Aim:</b> To describe the physical and psychological symptoms in healthcare workers caring for COVID-19 patients. <b>Methods:</b> Cross-sectional descriptive study design. A sample of 1,452 participants was collected. Sociodemographic data were recorded. Symptoms of anxiety were screened with Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD-7), symptoms of depression were measured with the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9), and finally physical symptoms were measured using the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-15). Percentages, means and standard deviations, the one-way and two-way ANOVA test, the Chi square test and Pearson’s correlation coefficient were all calculated. The level of significance was (<i>p</i> < 0.05). <b>Results:</b> Medium levels of anxiety (range, 5–9) and depression (range, 5–9) were observed, as well as the existence of physical symptoms (5–30). Nursing staff presented higher scores for anxiety than medical staff (Bonferroni test = −1.68; <i>p</i> < 0.001). Significant differences were also found for depression (F = 9.8; <i>p</i> < 0.001). Nursing staff and assistant nursing staff presented higher scores than medical professionals (Post hoc test = −2.11; <i>p</i> < 0.001 and Post hoc test = −1.53; <i>p</i> < 0.001, respectively). Significant differences were found according to gender in all variables referring to emotional distress: anxiety (t student = −6.492; <i>p</i> < 0.001), depression (t student = −4.703; <i>p</i> < 0.001) and physical symptoms (t student = −9.015; <i>p</i> < 0.001). Female healthcare workers displayed anxiety, depression and physical symptoms more frequently than their male counterparts. Analysing gender differences within each professional activity, no significant differences were found using the two-way ANOVA test (F = 1.52; <i>p</i> = 0.109). Anxiety and depression correlated with physical symptoms (rxy = 0.604; <i>p</i> < 0.001) when applying Pearson’s correlation coefficient. <b>Conclusions:</b> The study confirms the psychological impact and manifestation of physical symptoms in healthcare workers during the COVID-19 outbreak, highlighting the need to monitor symptoms and provide effective psychological intervention to prevent adverse effects on mental health such as post-traumatic stress disorder and burnout.

Stress and Anxiety Among Healthcare Workers Associated with COVID-19 Pandemic in Russia

Background: The first COVID-19 cases were diagnosed in Russia on 31 January 2020. By the end of March, many hospitals cancelled all scheduled procedures and started receiving patients with COVID-19. Large group of healthcare workers were involved in the treatment of patients with the novel virus. The mental health of medical workers treating patients with COVID-19 is now becoming an issue of increasing concern worldwide. However, the available data on stress and anxiety symptoms among healthcare workers during the COVID-19 are relatively limited and have not been evaluated in Russia yet. This study had two objectives: first, we aimed to evaluate stress and anxiety symptoms among healthcare workers directly involved in the diagnosis and treatment of patients with COVID-19 during the outbreak in Russia. A second objective was to validate the Russian version of new Stress and Anxiety to Viral Epidemics – 9 (SAVE-9) scale. Methods: The study was a cross-sectional hospital-based anonymous on-line survey between May 12th and May 26th, 2020 of 1,090 healthcare workers - 548 physicians [50.2%] and 542 nurses [49.8%] directly involved in the diagnosis and treatment of patients with COVID-19 . All the participants were directly involved in the treatment of such patients. Stress and anxiety symptoms were assessed using the Russian versions of SAVE-9 and GAD-7 scales. Logistic regression, Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin two component factor model, Cronbach's alpha and ROC-analysis were performed to determine the influence of different variables, internal structure and consistency, sensitivity and specificity of SAVE-9 compared with Generalized Anxiety Disorder – 7 (GAD-7). Findings: The median scores on the GAD-7 and SAVE-9 were 5 and 14, respectively. 535 [49.1%] respondents had moderate and 239 [21.9%] had severe anxiety according to selected SAVE-9 total score interpretation by percentiles. 134 participants [12.3%] had severe anxiety, 144 [13.2%] had moderate according to GAD-7. 707 [64.9%] participants often or always have been worried about their family or friends getting infected because of them, 387 [35.5%] – have been more sensitive towards minor physical symptoms. The component model (Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin adequacy criterion = 0.847, Barletts' sphericity criterion, pInterpretation: Healthcare workers in Russia fighting with COVID-19 reported high rates of stress and anxiety similar to other countries and are in need in urgent supportive programs. The Russian version of the SAVE-9 displayed a good ratio of sensitivity to specificity compared with GAD-7 and can be recommended as a screening instrument for detection of stress and anxiety symptoms in healthcare workers during viral outbreak. Funding Statement: The authors received no funding for this work.Declaration of Interests: This research had no specific funding, and all authors declare no competing interests.Ethics Approval Statement: The study and the form of the survey were approved by Local Ethical Committee of Moscow Research Institute of Psychiatry, and written informed consent for participation was waived

An overlooked risk for healthcare workers amid COVID-19: Occupational hand eczema.

OBJECTIVE:Hand hygiene, one of the most critical preventive methods against Coronavirus Disease-2019 (COVID-19) cross-transmission, has increased during the COVID-19 outbreak. The present study aims to investigate the prevalence and risk factors of hand eczema (HE) and associated symptoms in healthcare workers (HCWs) during the COVID-19 outbreak.METHODS:We distributed a self-administered online survey to physicians and nurses in Kahramanmaras, Turkey. The survey included questions about HE-associated symptoms and risk factors before and during the pandemic.RESULTS:Five hundred sixty-four individuals (349 physicians and 215 nurses) answered the survey. Post-COVID-19, the prevalence of HE increased from 6.6% to 11.7% and the prevalence of HE-associated symptoms increased from 39.5% to 79.3%. Female gender (odds ratio [OR]: 3.92; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.12–7.25), a history of atopic diseases (OR: 1.7; 95% CI: 1.03–2.8), more frequent handwashing (OR: 1.03; 95% CI: 1.01–1.05), and more frequent use of moisturizers (OR: 1.12; 95% CI: 1.01–1.24) were independently associated with the risk of HE-associated symptoms.CONCLUSION:Because of increased handwashing during the COVID-19 outbreak, there is a significant increase in HE-associated symptoms in HCWs. Proper education and preventive strategies for HE are urgently needed for HCWs fighting on the front lines of COVID-19.

Thunderstorm asthma: revealing a hidden at-risk population.

Epidemic thunderstorm asthma (ETSA) refers to large-scale acute bronchospasm events associated with thunderstorm. The most serious episode ever recorded occurred in Melbourne, Australia, in November 2016, where more than 3500 patients were treated in hospitals and 10 died. Previous work has been focused primarily on patient presentations to emergency departments. The prevalence of individuals with milder, non-emergent symptoms and who may be at risk of more serious episodes in the future has not previously been explored. To characterise the nature and extent of respiratory symptoms in healthcare workers during the Melbourne ETSA event. A survey was conducted among staff and volunteers across Eastern Health, distributed on the intranet homepage, by email and by word of mouth. Anonymous survey questions were constructed to assess prior and current diagnoses of relevance, symptoms, and demography. There were 515 participants (80% female, n = 411) of approximately 9000 potential respondents (~6% response rate) who completed the survey; 132 (25.6%) had symptoms suggestive of asthma during the Melbourne ETSA event, the majority of whom did not seek professional medical help. Notably, of those with ETSA-like symptoms, only 58 (43.9%) had a history of asthma, while 97 (73.5%) had a history of allergic rhinitis. Specifically, a history of allergic rhinitis (OR 2.77, P < 0.001), a history of asthma (OR 1.67, P = 0.037) and being of self-identified Asian ethnicity (OR 3.24, P < 0.001) were all strong predictors of ETSA-like symptoms. Being predominantly indoors was not protective. Our study provides evidence of the presence of a large cohort of sufferers during the Melbourne ETSA event of 2016 that did not come to the attention of medical services, implying a potentially hidden and significant susceptible population. Further research should help clarify the true prevalence of vulnerability in the general population, with important public health implications.

Psychosocial and organizational work environment of nurse managers and self-reported depressive symptoms: cross-sectional analysis from a cohort of nurse managers.

The association between depressive symptoms and psycho-organisational work environment has been established in the literature. Some studies have evaluated depressive symptoms in healthcare workers, but little research has been carried out among nurse managers. The aim of the study is to evaluate the depressive symptoms prevalence among nurse managers' population and work environment factors. A descriptive correlational research design was used. Data were collected from 296 nurse managers in five hospitals in the eastern area of France between 2007 and 2008. Health outcomes were evaluated by measuring depressive symptoms (CES-D scale), the exposure data by assessing psycho-organisational work environment with effort-reward imbalance-model of Siegrist. Multiple logistic regressions were used to describe the strength of the association between depressive symptoms and effort-reward imbalance adjusted for personal and occupational characteristics of the nurse managers. Among the nurse managers, a third had depressive symptoms, and 18% presented an effort-reward imbalance (ratio: ≥ 1). A significant association was found between depressive symptoms and effort-reward imbalance (OR = 10.81, 95% CI: 5.1-23, p < 10(-3)), and with esteem as a reward (OR = 3.21, 95% CI: 1.6-6.3, p < 10(-2)). In view of the hierarchical situation of nurse managers and their primary roles in hospitals, it is necessary to take prevention measures to improve their work environment and health.

Investigating an outbreak of non-specific building-related symptoms in workers of a general hospital

To obtain a case definition and to describe variables associated with a cluster of unspecific symptoms in healthcare workers (HCW) in a hospital building. A cross-sectional study was performed. All people working at the Residencia Cantabria building (a 200-bed building belonging to University Hospital Marqués de Valdecilla) in June 2009 were invited to complete a self-administered questionnaire, including questions on demographic data, working place and shift, working conditions and current symptoms. A cluster analysis was developed to obtain the case definition. The strength of the association between the studied variables and accomplishing the case definition was measured using odds ratios (OR) with the 95% confidence interval (CI). Multiple logistic regression was used to obtain a predictive model; its general validity was estimated with Receiver Operating Curves (ROC) and their Area Under the Curve (AUC). 357 completed questionnaires were obtained. The case was defined as having at least 5 symptoms out of the eleven included. Not being ascribed to a specific shift was the strongest protective variable related with "being a case" (OR = 0.30; 95% CI: 0.17-0.54), whereas the personal antecedent of distal pain or inflammation in arms or legs was the main risk factor (OR = 4.33, 95% CI: 2.75-6.82). A six-variable predictive model has AUC equaling to 0.7378. A disease associated with the indoor environment quality in a hospital was characterized. A multivariate score was drafted for identifying HCW with higher risk of developing the disease in order to apply administrative prevention measures.

The effects of occupational interventions on reduction of musculoskeletal symptoms in the nursing profession

The objective of the review was to gain more insight into the effects of occupational interventions for primary prevention of musculoskeletal symptoms in healthcare workers. The Cochrane Collaboration methodological guidelines for systematic reviews functioned as a starting point. Thirteen studies meeting the inclusion criteria were analysed for methodological quality and effects. Eight outcome effect areas were established and defined as areas in which an effect had been determined in at least two studies. A method based on levels of scientific evidence was then used to synthesize the information available. Strong scientific evidence for the beneficial effect of occupational interventions was found for the outcome effect areas physical discomfort, technical performance of transfers and frequency of manual lifting. Insufficient evidence was found for the effect areas absenteeism due to musculoskeletal problems, musculoskeletal symptoms, fatigue, perceived physical load and knowledge of risk factors at work and ergonomic principles. Training and education combined with an ergonomic intervention were found to be effective.

Latex gloves use and symptoms in health care workers 1 year after implementation of a policy restricting the use of powdered gloves

Background: Latex sensitization related to glove use is a complex problem, and glove use policies that restrict exposure to powdered latex gloves alone may not provide adequate safety. This study explored health care workers’ (HCWs’) latex glove use and reports of related health symptoms 1 year after implementation of the latex glove replacement policy. Methods: Two cross-sectional surveys. One was a population-based survey of HCWs at the institution (National Surveillance System for Hospital Health Care Workers); the second, a detailed survey of HCWs stratified by exposure to latex gloves (Latex Symptom Survey). Results: The prevalence of symptoms of dermatitis reported by latex glove users was 40.3% (National Surveillance System for Hospital Health Care Workers) and 50.0% (Latex Symptom Survey). Symptom reports increased as exposure to latex gloves increased (pairs used per day, occupations with more glove use, working in higher exposure areas, more tenure, and more hours of use per day). Aerosol symptoms and urticaria related to latex glove use were reported much less frequently than were rash, chapping, itching, or redness. HCWs, even those with skin symptoms, continued to choose latex gloves in more than 80% of the cases. Conclusions: Stepwise preplacement evaluation at employee health clinics is recommended to identify and protect employees sensitized to latex. The medical community needs more understanding and education about latex gloves, latex sensitization, and available alternatives. (AJIC Am J Infect Control 2000;28:352-8)