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Exploring the Well-being of Health Care Workers During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Protocol for a Prospective Longitudinal Study.
Liu, Jenny J W; Nazarov, Anthony; Plouffe, Rachel A; Forchuk, Callista A; Deda, Erisa; Gargala, Dominic; Le, Tri; Bourret-Gheysen, Jesse; Soares, Vanessa; Nouri, Maede S; Hosseiny, Fardous; Smith, Patrick; Roth, Maya; MacDougall, Arlene G; Marlborough, Michelle; Jetly, Rakesh; Heber, Alexandra; Albuquerque, Joy; Lanius, Ruth; Balderson, Ken; Dupuis, Gabrielle; Mehta, Viraj; Richardson, J Don.
  • Liu JJW; MacDonald Franklin Operational Stress Injury Research Centre, Lawson Health Research Institute, St. Joseph's Health Care London, London, ON, Canada.
  • Nazarov A; Department of Psychiatry, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, Western University, London, ON, Canada.
  • Plouffe RA; MacDonald Franklin Operational Stress Injury Research Centre, Lawson Health Research Institute, St. Joseph's Health Care London, London, ON, Canada.
  • Forchuk CA; Department of Psychiatry, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, Western University, London, ON, Canada.
  • Deda E; MacDonald Franklin Operational Stress Injury Research Centre, Lawson Health Research Institute, St. Joseph's Health Care London, London, ON, Canada.
  • Gargala D; Department of Psychiatry, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, Western University, London, ON, Canada.
  • Le T; MacDonald Franklin Operational Stress Injury Research Centre, Lawson Health Research Institute, St. Joseph's Health Care London, London, ON, Canada.
  • Bourret-Gheysen J; MacDonald Franklin Operational Stress Injury Research Centre, Lawson Health Research Institute, St. Joseph's Health Care London, London, ON, Canada.
  • Soares V; MacDonald Franklin Operational Stress Injury Research Centre, Lawson Health Research Institute, St. Joseph's Health Care London, London, ON, Canada.
  • Nouri MS; MacDonald Franklin Operational Stress Injury Research Centre, Lawson Health Research Institute, St. Joseph's Health Care London, London, ON, Canada.
  • Hosseiny F; MacDonald Franklin Operational Stress Injury Research Centre, Lawson Health Research Institute, St. Joseph's Health Care London, London, ON, Canada.
  • Smith P; MacDonald Franklin Operational Stress Injury Research Centre, Lawson Health Research Institute, St. Joseph's Health Care London, London, ON, Canada.
  • Roth M; MacDonald Franklin Operational Stress Injury Research Centre, Lawson Health Research Institute, St. Joseph's Health Care London, London, ON, Canada.
  • MacDougall AG; Centre of Excellence on Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and Related Mental Health Conditions, Royal Ottawa Mental Health Centre, Ottawa, ON, Canada.
  • Marlborough M; Centre of Excellence on Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and Related Mental Health Conditions, Royal Ottawa Mental Health Centre, Ottawa, ON, Canada.
  • Jetly R; St. Joseph's Operational Stress Injury Clinic, Greater Toronto Area, ON, Canada.
  • Heber A; Department of Psychiatry, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, Western University, London, ON, Canada.
  • Albuquerque J; Department of Psychiatry, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, Western University, London, ON, Canada.
  • Lanius R; St. Joseph's Operational Stress Injury Clinic, Greater Toronto Area, ON, Canada.
  • Balderson K; Canadian Armed Forces, Ottawa, ON, Canada.
  • Dupuis G; Veterans Affairs Canada, Ottawa, ON, Canada.
  • Mehta V; Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.
  • Richardson JD; Department of Psychiatry, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, Western University, London, ON, Canada.
JMIR Res Protoc ; 10(9): e32663, 2021 Sep 27.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-1441065
ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND:

Health care workers (HCWs) have experienced several stressors associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. Structural stressors, including extended work hours, redeployment, and changes in organizational mandates, often intersect with interpersonal and personal stressors, such as caring for those with COVID-19 infections; worrying about infection of self, family, and loved ones; working despite shortages of personal protective equipment; and encountering various difficult moral-ethical dilemmas.

OBJECTIVE:

The paper describes the protocol for a longitudinal study seeking to capture the unique experiences, challenges, and changes faced by HCWs during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study seeks to explore the impact of COVID-19 on the mental well-being of HCWs with a particular focus on moral distress, perceptions of and satisfaction with delivery of care, and how changes in work structure are tolerated among HCWs providing clinical services.

METHODS:

A prospective longitudinal design is employed to assess HCWs' experiences across domains of mental health (depression, anxiety, posttraumatic stress, and well-being), moral distress and moral reasoning, work-related changes and telehealth, organizational responses to COVID-19 concerns, and experiences with COVID-19 infections to self and to others. We recruited HCWs from across Canada through convenience snowball sampling to participate in either a short-form or long-form web-based survey at baseline. Respondents to the baseline survey are invited to complete a follow-up survey every 3 months, for a total of 18 months.

RESULTS:

A total of 1926 participants completed baseline surveys between June 26 and December 31, 2020, and 1859 participants provided their emails to contact them to participate in follow-up surveys. As of July 2021, data collection is ongoing, with participants nearing the 6- or 9-month follow-up periods depending on their initial time of self-enrollment.

CONCLUSIONS:

This protocol describes a study that will provide unique insights into the immediate and longitudinal impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the dimensions of mental health, moral distress, health care delivery, and workplace environment of HCWs. The feasibility and acceptability of implementing a short-form and long-form survey on participant engagement and data retention will also be discussed. INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT IDENTIFIER (IRRID) DERR1-10.2196/32663.
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Full text: Available Collection: International databases Database: MEDLINE Type of study: Cohort study / Observational study / Prognostic study / Qualitative research Language: English Journal: JMIR Res Protoc Year: 2021 Document Type: Article Affiliation country: 32663

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Full text: Available Collection: International databases Database: MEDLINE Type of study: Cohort study / Observational study / Prognostic study / Qualitative research Language: English Journal: JMIR Res Protoc Year: 2021 Document Type: Article Affiliation country: 32663