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Psychological impact of COVID-19 on emergency department healthcare workers in a tertiary care center during a national economic crisis.
Al Hariri, Moustafa; Hamade, Bachar; Bizri, Maya; Salman, Oday; Tamim, Hani; Al Jalbout, Nour.
  • Al Hariri M; Department of Emergency Medicine, American University of Beirut Medical Center, Beirut, Lebanon. Electronic address: ma147@aub.edu.lb.
  • Hamade B; Emergency Services Institute, Department of Intensive Care and Resuscitation, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, OH, United States of America. Electronic address: hamadeb@ccf.org.
  • Bizri M; Department of Psychiatry, American University of Beirut Medical Center, Beirut, Lebanon. Electronic address: mb112@aub.edu.lb.
  • Salman O; Department of Emergency Medicine, American University of Beirut Medical Center, Beirut, Lebanon. Electronic address: os25@aub.edu.lb.
  • Tamim H; Department of Internal Medicine, American University of Beirut Medical Center, Beirut, Lebanon. Electronic address: htamim@aub.edu.lb.
  • Al Jalbout N; Department of Emergency Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, United States of America. Electronic address: naljalbout@mgh.harvard.edu.
Am J Emerg Med ; 51: 342-347, 2022 Jan.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-1499591
ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND:

Since the declaration of the novel Corona Virus Disease (COVID-19) as a global pandemic by the World Health Organization, frontline healthcare workers (HCWs) and staff in the Emergency Departments (ED) started experiencing feelings of anxiety and fear from the projected exponential spread and the potential burden on the healthcare system and infrastructure. In Lebanon, major local factors contributing to this fear were the rapid escalation of COVID-19 cases across the country, the lack of preparedness, and the shortage of personal protective equipment, in addition to the evolving economic crisis and financial restrictions. This study aims to investigate the immediate psychological impact of the COVID-19 outbreak on ED staff working in a hospital environment in relation to their household income.

METHODS:

Self-reported cross-sectional survey was delivered to the frontline staff working at the Department of Emergency Medicine of AUBMC in Beirut, Lebanon. General demographic characteristics, scores of Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7 (GAD-7), scores of Patient Health Questionnaire 9 (PHQ-9), and scores of Burnout Measure-Short (BMS) version were collected.

RESULTS:

74 HCWs (49.6%) participated in the study. The mean age for participants was (31.78 ± 9.49). More than half of the participants were nurses and more than 70% reported a monthly salary of less than 2000 USD. The household income was negatively associated with the participants' scores on the GAD-7 and PHQ-9, but not the BMS. Previous mental health diagnosis was positively associated with the PHQ-9 and BMS scores, while seeking mental health care was negatively associated with the PHQ-9 and BMS scores.

CONCLUSION:

At our tertiary care center in a low-income, low resource country amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, the HCWs reported marked psychological disturbances on different scales. In particular, the financial burden was associated with increased anxiety and clinical depression, but was not associated with burnout.
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Full text: Available Collection: International databases Database: MEDLINE Main subject: Health Personnel / Economic Recession / COVID-19 Type of study: Experimental Studies / Observational study / Prognostic study / Qualitative research / Randomized controlled trials Limits: Adult / Female / Humans / Male / Middle aged / Young adult Country/Region as subject: Asia Language: English Journal: Am J Emerg Med Year: 2022 Document Type: Article

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Full text: Available Collection: International databases Database: MEDLINE Main subject: Health Personnel / Economic Recession / COVID-19 Type of study: Experimental Studies / Observational study / Prognostic study / Qualitative research / Randomized controlled trials Limits: Adult / Female / Humans / Male / Middle aged / Young adult Country/Region as subject: Asia Language: English Journal: Am J Emerg Med Year: 2022 Document Type: Article