The COVID-19 pandemic has had a profound psychological impact on our frontline healthcare workers. Throughout the entire second COVID-19 wave at one major tertiary hospital in Melbourne Australia, longitudinal qualitative data between perioperative staff members, and analyses of intrapersonal changes were reported. Inductive analysis of three open-ended questions generated four major themes: Organisational Response to the Pandemic, Psychological Impact, Changes in Feelings of Support Over Time and Suggestions for Changes. Understanding the challenges, perception and suggestions from this longitudinal study allows us to provide a range of support services and interventions to minimise the long-term negative psychological impact and be better prepared should another similar situation arises again.
AnzalduaAHalpernJ (2021) Can clinical empathy survive? Distress, burnout, and malignant duty in the age of Covid-19. Hastings Center Report51(1): 22–27.
2.
BarelloSFalcó-PeguerolesARosaD, et al. (2020) The psychosocial impact of flu influenza pandemics on healthcare workers and lessons learnt for the COVID-19 emergency: A rapid review. International Journal of Public Health65(7): 1205–1216.
3.
BraunVClarkeV (2006) Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology3(2): 77–101.
4.
CabarkapaSNadjidaiSEMurgierJ, et al. (2020) The psychological impact of COVID-19 and other viral epidemics on frontline healthcare workers and ways to address it: A rapid systematic review. Brain, Behavior, & Immunity - Health8: 100144.
5.
ChengPXiaGPangP, et al. (2020) COVID-19 epidemic peer support and crisis intervention via social media. Community Mental Health Journal56(5): 786–792.
6.
ChenXZhangSXJahanshahiAA, et al. (2020) Belief in a COVID-19 conspiracy theory as a predictor of mental health and well-being of health care workers in Ecuador: Cross-sectional survey study. JMIR Public Health and Surveillance6(3): e20737.
7.
ChewQHWeiKCVasooS, et al. (2020) Psychological and coping responses of health care workers toward emerging infectious disease outbreaks: A rapid review and practical implications for the COVID-19 pandemic. Journal of Clinical Psychiatry81(6): 20r13450.
8.
da SilvaFCTBarbosaCP (2021) The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in an intensive care unit (ICU): Psychiatric symptoms in healthcare professionals. Journal of Psychiatric Research140: 474–487.
9.
De HertS (2020) Burnout in healthcare workers: Prevalence, impact and preventative strategies. Local and Regional Anesthesia13: 171–183.
DigbyRWinton-BrownTFinlaysonF, et al. (2021) Hospital staff well-being during the first wave of COVID-19: Staff perspectives. International Journal of Mental Health Nursing30(2): 440–450.
12.
DobsonHMalpasCBBurrellAJ, et al. (2021) Burnout and psychological distress amongst Australian healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Australasian Psychiatry29(1): 26–30.
13.
FinsetABosworthHButowP, et al. (2020) Effective health communication - A key factor in fighting the COVID-19 pandemic. Patient Education and Counseling103(5): 873–876.
14.
FuchsAAbegglenSBerger-EstilitaJ, et al. (2020) Distress and resilience of healthcare professionals during the COVID-19 pandemic (DARVID): Study protocol for a mixed-methods research project. BMJ Open10(7): e039832.
15.
HammondNECroweLAbbenbroekB, et al. (2021) Impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic on critical care healthcare workers’ depression, anxiety, and stress levels. Australian Critical Care34(2): 146–154.
16.
HarryE (2014) Stress and the healthcare worker. As complicated or as simple as fear and hope. The Journal of Medical Practice Management: MPM30(1): 28–30.
17.
HolmesEAO’ConnorRCPerryVH, et al. (2020) Multidisciplinary research priorities for the COVID-19 pandemic: A call for action for mental health science. Lancet Psychiatry7(6): 547–560.
18.
KhajuriaATomaszewskiWLiuZ, et al. (2021) Workplace factors associated with mental health of healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic: An international cross-sectional study. BMC Health Services Research21(1): 262.
19.
KiselySWarrenNMcMahonL, et al. (2020) Occurrence, prevention, and management of the psychological effects of emerging virus outbreaks on healthcare workers: Rapid review and meta-analysis. BMJ369: m1642.
20.
KnaakSMantlerESzetoA (2017) Mental illness-related stigma in healthcare: Barriers to access and care and evidence-based solutions. Health Management Forum30(2): 111–116.
21.
LambDGreenbergNHotopfM, et al. (2021) NHS CHECK: Protocol for a cohort study investigating the psychosocial impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on healthcare workers. BMJ Open11(6): e051687.
22.
LeBlancABaronMBlouinP, et al. (2022) For a structured response to the psychosocial consequences of the restrictive measures imposed by the global COVID-19 health pandemic: The MAVIPAN longitudinal prospective cohort study protocol. BMJ Open12(4): e048749.
23.
LobdellKWRoseGA (2020) Improving health care leadership in the COVID-19 era. New England Journal of Medicine.Epub ahead of print 4 June 2020. DOI: 10.1056/CAT.20-0225.
24.
MajeedMIrshadMFatimaT, et al. (2020) Relationship between problematic social media usage and employee depression: A moderated mediation model of mindfulness and fear of COVID-19. Frontiers in Psychology11: 557987.
25.
MataDARamosMABansalN, et al. (2015) Prevalence of depression and depressive symptoms among resident physicians: A systematic review and meta-analysis. The Journal of the American Medical Association314(22): 2373–2383.
26.
NgIBarsonEFisherC, et al. (2022) A longitudinal study of the psychological impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on frontline perioperative healthcare staff in an Australian tertiary public hospital. Australasian Psychiatry30(2): 212–222.
27.
NitschkeJPForbesPAGAliN, et al. (2021) Resilience during uncertainty? Greater social connectedness during COVID-19 lockdown is associated with reduced distress and fatigue. British Journal of Health Psychology26(2): 553–569.
28.
NorrisFHStevensSPPfefferbaumB, et al. (2008) Community resilience as a metaphor, theory, set of capacities, and strategy for disaster readiness. American Journal of Community Psychology41(1-2): 127–150.
29.
PanDRajwaniK (2021) Implementation of simulation training during the COVID-19 pandemic: A New York hospital experience. Simulation in Healthcare: Journal of the Society for Simulation in Healthcare16(1): 46–51.
30.
Pereira-LimaKMataDALoureiroSR, et al. (2019) Association between physician depressive symptoms and medical errors: A systematic review and meta-analysis. JAMA Network Open2(11): e1916097–e1916097.
31.
PollockACampbellPCheyneJ, et al. (2020) Interventions to support the resilience and mental health of frontline health and social care professionals during and after a disease outbreak, epidemic or pandemic: A mixed methods systematic review. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews11(11): Cd013779.
32.
Serrano-RipollMJMeneses-EchavezJFRicci-CabelloI, et al. (2020) Impact of viral epidemic outbreaks on mental health of healthcare workers: A rapid systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Affective Disorders277: 347–357.
33.
SheratonMDeoNDuttT, et al. (2020) Psychological effects of the COVID 19 pandemic on healthcare workers globally: A systematic review. Psychiatry Research292: 113360.
34.
SneydJRMathoulinSEO’SullivanEP, et al. (2020) Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on anaesthesia trainees and their training. British Journal of Anaesthesia125(4): 450–455.
SteinbachTCAdamsonRCarlbomDJ, et al. (2020) Crisis leadership education for critical care fellows. A longitudinal curriculum using simulation. ATS Scholar1(1): 11–19.
37.
TongSCTinASTanDM, et al. (2012) The health-related quality of life of junior doctors. Annals of the Academy of Medicine, Singapore41(10): 444–450.
38.
TsaoS-FChenHTisseverasingheT, et al. (2021) What social media told us in the time of COVID-19: A scoping review. The Lancet Digital Health3(3): e175–e194.
WilkinsonHWhittingtonRPerryL, et al. (2017) Examining the relationship between burnout and empathy in healthcare professionals: A systematic review. Burnout Research6: 18–29.
41.
WithielTBarsonENgI, et al. (2021) The psychological experience of frontline perioperative health care staff in responding to COVID-19: Qualitative study. JMIR Perioperative Medicine4: e27166.
42.
YuanKGongYMLiuL, et al. (2021) Prevalence of posttraumatic stress disorder after infectious disease pandemics in the twenty-first century, including COVID-19: A meta-analysis and systematic review. Molecular Psychiatry26: 4982–4998.
Supplementary Material
Please find the following supplemental material available below.
For Open Access articles published under a Creative Commons License, all supplemental material carries the same license as the article it is associated with.
For non-Open Access articles published, all supplemental material carries a non-exclusive license, and permission requests for re-use of supplemental material or any part of supplemental material shall be sent directly to the copyright owner as specified in the copyright notice associated with the article.
