ABSTRACT
Objectives. Determining the psychological impact of the COVID-19 pandemic among physicians and mapping of the perceived sources of social support. Design. Secondary data analysis of a cross-sectional survey. Methods. From a repeated survey of health care workers in Flanders (Belgium) (n = 8,350), practicing physicians were retained (n = 873). The survey, conducted between April and June 2020 during the first wave of the pandemic in Belgium, questioned respondents about the perceived occurrence of 11 personal and 8 professional reactions during the last week and in normal circumstances. Using odds ratios, the relationship between the COVID-19 pandemic and the occurrence of these reactions was examined. Furthermore, the perceived sources of social support were listed and are descriptively presented. Results. For the 11 perceived personal reactions and 2 negative and 1 positive professional reaction, there is a significant association with the COVID-19 pandemic, namely a more frequent occurrence. Through the pandemic, significant differences have emerged between general practitioners and medical specialists with a more frequent occurrence of negative reactions in the general practitioner population. Respondents indicate that mental support is mainly found in their immediate environment and in colleagues outside their organization. Conclusion. The COVID-19 pandemic has a significant impact on the mental well-being of physicians. While the impact on general practitioners remains high throughout the crisis, some normalization among medical specialists is seen towards the end of the first wave. Long-term follow-up and initiatives regarding mental support for physicians are necessary. Copyright © 2022 Tijdschrift voor Geneeskunde en Gezondheidszorg. All rights reserved.
ABSTRACT
Background: The role of community pharmacists has recently evolved from a medication to a patient-centered basis. Moreover, the pharmacist is one of the most accessible first line healthcare providers. Due to COVID-19, a growing need to support people with psychosocial needs, like suffering from family violence or mental health problems, was noted. Purpose: This pilot study evaluates the added value and feasibility of pharmacists' taking up a role in the detection and referral of patients with (unmet) mental and psychosocial needs. Therefore, a collaboration between community pharmacies and psychosocial organisations was set up and evaluated using quantitative and qualitative indicators. Method: A project named CAVAsa was launched in 70 community pharmacies situated in 9 primary care zones in Flanders (Belgium). In eptember 2021, all participating pharmacists were trained to detect psychosocial needs, to inform and help patients and to refer them to a Flemish Center for General Welfare Work (CAW) if needed. Posters and informative leaflets are used to support pharmacists and to inform patients. All patient contacts in the context of the project, going from giving advice to a referral, are registered on an online registration platform and will be fully analysed in January. Moreover, eight focus groups were held in November 2021 to explore the perspective of the participating pharmacists on the project. Findings: Up to date, 50 patient contacts in the context of CAVAsa have been registered. Patients are dominantly female and middle-aged, and the majority of patients' needs relate to family problems and/or mental health problems. The focus groups revealed that pharmacists are willing to take up this role because patient wellbeing and personal assistance are key values of community pharmacy. However, the high workload (partly due to the pandemic) is one of the most important barriers for registration and referral. Good cooperation, coordination and close involvement between the partners (project management, social workers and pharmacists) were shown to be vital. Conclusion: Despite the good position of the community pharmacist to detect psychosocial needs and the willingness of the participants, some barriers exist for the implementation, especially time constraints. COVID-19 made this extra challenging. Nevertheless, we decided to further promote the project and to train and include more pharmacists in the nearby future.