The Psychological Experience of Frontline Perioperative Health Care Staff in Responding to COVID-19: Qualitative Study.
JMIR Perioper Med
; 4(2): e27166, 2021 Sep 29.
Article
in English
| MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-1443950
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
The rapid spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) has presented immeasurable challenges to health care workers who remain at the frontline of the pandemic. A rapidly evolving body of literature has quantitatively demonstrated significant psychological impacts of the pandemic on health care workers. However, little is known about the lived experience of the pandemic for frontline medical staff.OBJECTIVE:
This study aimed to explore the qualitative experience of perioperative staff from a large trauma hospital in Melbourne, Australia.METHODS:
Inductive thematic analysis using a critical realist approach was used to analyze data from 9 semistructured interviews.RESULTS:
Four key themes were identified. Hospital preparedness related to the perceived readiness of the hospital to respond to the pandemic and encompassed key subthemes around communication of policy changes, team leadership, and resource availability. Perceptions of readiness contributed to the perceived psychological impacts of the pandemic, which were highly varied and ranged from anger to anxiety. A number of coping strategies were identified in response to psychological impacts which incorporated both internal and external coping mechanisms. Finally, adaptation with time reflected change and growth over time, and encompassed all other themes.CONCLUSIONS:
While frontline staff and hospitals have rapidly marshalled a response to managing the virus, relatively less consideration was seen regarding staff mental health in our study. Findings highlight the vulnerability of health care workers in response to the pandemic and reinforce the need for a coordinated approach to managing mental health.
Full text:
Available
Collection:
International databases
Database:
MEDLINE
Type of study:
Qualitative research
Language:
English
Journal:
JMIR Perioper Med
Year:
2021
Document Type:
Article
Affiliation country:
27166
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