Mental health risks of health professionals who worked on the front lines against the new coronavirus: narrative review

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.33448/rsd-v11i10.32887

Keywords:

Occupational stress; COVID-19; Health professionals; Mental health.

Abstract

Infection with the new coronavirus has become a public health emergency. Health professionals were asked to act in defense against the new virus. This resulted in duplicate working hours, isolation and insecurities, factors that put the mental health of these professionals at risk. The purpose of this narrative review is to present results from publications on the mental health dangers of health professionals working on the front lines against COVID-19. Articles were searched at PubMed Central, Scopus and Virtual Health Library. Found articles 92. After analysis, 12 articles were selected. The main frustrations experienced by the professionals were lack of PPE, isolation, risk of contracting the virus, feeling of incapacity and long working hours. The professionals also had anxiety, insomnia, stress, depression, panic and muscle pain. The mental health of health professionals is compromised, and may put the capacity for professional performance at risk in the future.

References

Aires, I. O., Sousa, L. L. C. de, Sousa, D. J. M. de, Araújo, D. S. C. de, Oliveira, I. K. F., & Alencar, M. do S. S. (2019). Food consumption, lifestyle and its influence on the aging process. Research, Society and Development, 8(11), e098111437. https://doi.org/10.33448/rsd-v8i11.1437

Bao, Y., Sun, Y., Meng, S., Shi, J., & Lu, L. (2020) 2019-nCoV epidemic: address mental health care to empower society. The Lancet, 395(10224), 37-38. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(20)30309-3

Burdorf, A., Porru, F., & Rugulies, R. (2020). The COVID-19 (Coronavirus) pandemic: consequences for occupational health. Scandinavian Journal of Work, Environment & Health, 46(3),229–230. https://doi.org/10.5271/sjweh.3893

Chersich, M. F., Gray, G., Fairlie, L., Eichbaum, Q., Mayhew, A. B., Allwood, B., English, R., Luchters, S., Simpson, G., Haghighi, M. M., Pham, M. D., & Rees, H. (2020). COVID-19 in Africa: care and protection for frontline healthcare workers. Globalization and Health, 16(46), 1-6. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12992-020-00574-3

Chewa, N. W. S., Leeb, G. K. H., Tan, B. Y. Q., Jing, M., Goh, Y., Ngiama, N. J. H., Yeo, L. L. L., Ahmad, A., Ahmed, F. K., Napolean-Shanmugam, G., Sharma, A. K., Komalkumar, R.N., Meenakshi, P.V., Shah, K., Patel, B., Chan, B. P. L., Sunny, S., Chandra, B., Ong, J. J. Y., Paliwal, P. R., Wong, L. Y .H., Sagayanathan, R., Chen, J. T., Ying-Ng, A. Y., Teoh, H. L., Tsivgoulis, G., Ho, C. S., Ho, R. C., & Sharma, V. K. (2020). A multinational, multicentre study on the psychological outcomes and associated physical symptoms amongst healthcare workers during COVID19 outbreak. Brain, Behavior, and Immunity, 4(49),1-7. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbi.2020.04.049

Greenberd, N., Docherty, M., Gnanaprapasam, S., & Wessely, S. (2020) Managing mental health challenges faced by healthcare workers during COVID-19 pandemic. The BMJ, 368(1211), 1-4. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.m1211

Hagea-El, W., Hinrgrayc, C., Lemogned, C., Yrondig, A., Brunaulta, P., Bienvenuh, T., Etain, B., Paquet, C., Gohier, B., Bennabi, D., Birmes, P., Sauvaget, A., Fakra, E., Prieto, N., Bulteau, S., Vidailhet, P., Camus, V., Leboyer, M., Krebs, M.O., & Aouizerate, B. (2020). Health professionals facing the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic: what are the mental health risks. L’Encéphale, 7006(20), 1-9. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.encep.2020.04.008

Jianbo, L., Ma, S., Wang, Y., Cai, Z., Hu, J., Wei, N., Wu, J., Du, H., Chen, T., Li, R., Tan, H., Kang, L., Yao, L., Huang, M., Wang, H., Wang, G., Liu, Z., & Hu, S. (2020). Factors Associated With Mental Health Outcomes Among Health Care Workers Exposed to Coronavirus Disease 2019. JAMA Network Open, 3(3), 1-12. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2020.3976

Jin, Y. H., Huang, Q., Wang, Y. Y., Zeng, X. T., Luo, L. S., Pan, Z. Y., Yuan, Y. F., Chen, Z. M., Cheng, Z. S., Huang, X., Wang, N., Li, B. H., Zi, H., Zhao, M.J., Ma, L. L., Deng, T., Wang, Y., & Wang, X.H. (2020). Perceived infection transmission routes, infection control practices, psychosocial changes, and management of COVID-19 infected healthcare workers in a tertiary acute care hospital in Wuhan: a cross-sectional survey. Military Medical Research, 7(24), 1-13. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40779-020-00254-8

Kang, L., Ma, S., Chen, M., Yang, J., Wang, Y., Li, R., Yao, L., Bai, H., Cai, Z., Xiang Yang, B., Hu, S., Zhang, K., Wang, G., Ma, C., & Liu, Z. (2020). Impact on mental health and perceptions of psychological care among medical and nursing staff in Wuhan during the 2019 novel coronavirus disease outbreak: A cross-sectional study. Brain, behavior, and immunity, 87(28), 1-8. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbi.2020.03.028

Neto, M., Almeida, H. G., Esmeraldo, J. D., Nobre, C. B., Pinheiro, W. R., Oliveira, C., Sousa, I., Lima, O., Lima, N., Moreira, M. M., Lima, C., Júnior, J. G., & Silva, C. (2020). When health professionals look death in the eye: the mental health of professionals who deal daily with the 2019 coronavirus outbreak. Psychiatry Research, 288(2020), 112972. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychres.2020.112972

Ornell, F., Schuch, J. B., Sordi, A. O., & Kessler, F. H. P. (2020). Pandemic fear and COVID-19: mental health burden andstrategies. Brazilian Journal of Psychiatry, 42(3), 232-235. http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/1516-4446-2020-0008

Paiva, J. B., Magalhães, M.L., Santos, M.C., Silva-Santos, A., & Trad, A.B. (2019). A convergence of “adequate” and “healthy”: an analysis of the notion of adequate and healthy diet in public policies in Brazil. Cadernos de Saúde Pública, 35(8), 20192019. https://doi.org/10.1590/0102-311X00250318

Pereira, M.D., Oliveira, L.C., Costa, C.F.T., Bezerra, C.M.O., Pereira, M.D., Santos, C.K.A., & Dantas E.H.M. (2020). The COVID-19 pandemic, social isolation, consequences on mental health and coping strategies: an integrative review. Research, Society and Development, 9(7), 1-35. http://dx.doi.org/10.33448/rsd-v9i7.4548

Ramírez-Ortiz, J., Castro-Quintero, D., Córdoba, C.L., Ceballos, F.Y., & Córdoba FE. (2020). Consecuencias de la pandemia COVID-19 en la Salud Mental associadas al aislamiento social. Colombian Journal of Anesthesiology, 48(4), e930. https://doi.org/10.5554/22562087.e930

Rana,W., & Mukhtar, S. (2020). Mental health of medical workers in Pakistan during the pandemic COVID19 outbreak. Asian Journal of Psychiatry, 5(2020), 1-6. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajp.2020.102080

Roycroft, M., Wilkes, D., Fleming, S., Pattani, S., & Brown-Olsson, A. (2020). Preventing psychological injury during the COVID-19 pandemic. The BMJ, 4(369), 1. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.m1702

Rother, E. T. (2007). Revisão Sistemática X Revisão Narrativa. Acta Paulista de Enfermagem, 20(2), 1-2. http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/S0103-21002007000200001

Schmidt, B., Crepaldi, M. A., Bolze, S.A., Silva, L,. & Demenech, L. M. (2020). Impacts on Mental Health and Psychological Interventions related to the New Coronavirus Pandemic (COVID-19). Estudos de Psicologia, 37, 1-13. https://doi.org/10.1590/1982-0275202037e200063

Shacham, M., Raz-Hamama, Y., Kolerman, R., Mijititsky, O., Ezra-Ben, M., & Mijititsky, E. (2020). COVID-19 Factors and Psychological Factors Associated with Elevated Psychological Distress among Dentists and Dental Hygienists in Israel. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(2900), 1-7. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17082900

Sim, M.R. (2020). The COVID-19 pandemic: major risks to healthcare and other workers on the front line. Occupational and Environmental Medicine, 2020(77), 281-282. http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/oemed-2020-106567

Wang, C., Pan, R., Wan, X., Tan, Y., Xu, L., Ho, C. S., & Ho, R. C. (2020). Immediate Psychological Responses and Associated Factors during the Initial Stage of the 2019 Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) Epidemic among the General Population in China. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(5), 1729. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17051729

Published

05/08/2022

How to Cite

LUZ, S. C. dos S. da .; STUMM, E. M. F. .; COLET, C. de F. .; FACHINETTO, J. M. . Mental health risks of health professionals who worked on the front lines against the new coronavirus: narrative review. Research, Society and Development, [S. l.], v. 11, n. 10, p. e387111032887, 2022. DOI: 10.33448/rsd-v11i10.32887. Disponível em: https://rsdjournal.org/index.php/rsd/article/view/32887. Acesso em: 16 nov. 2024.

Issue

Section

Review Article