Interventions aimed at improving clinical practice and psychological health of nurses and hospital staff should focus on workload, workers' personal expectations and job satisfaction.

A multicentre cross-sectional study was conducted to assess perceived risk and fear of contagion, as well as mental health outcomes among 650 Italian healthcare workers during the COVID-19 outbreak. A relevant proportion of the sample reported symptoms of anxiety, depression, and distress. Female sex, nursing profession, fear of being infected, as well as the time of exposure to the COVID-19 spread and the fact of directly attending infected patients were the main risk factors for developing mental health disturbances. Tailored interventions need to be implemented to reduce psychological burden in healthcare workers, with a particular attention to nurses.

The coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) can cause neurological, psychiatric, psychological, and psychosocial impairments. Literature regarding cognitive impact of COVID-19 is still limited. The aim of this study was to evaluate cognitive deficits and emotional distress among COVID-19 and post–COVID-19 patients who required functional rehabilitation. Specifically, this study explored and compared cognitive and psychological status of patients in the subacute phase of the disease (COVID-19 group) and patients in the postillness period (post–COVID-19 group). Forty patients admitted to rehabilitation units were enrolled in the study and divided into two groups according to the phase of the disease: (a) COVID-19 group (n = 20) and (b) post–COVID-19 group (n = 20). All patients underwent a neuropsychological assessment including Mini-Mental State Evaluation (MMSE), Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression, and Impact of Event Scale–Revised (IES-R). A larger part of the COVID group showed neuropsychological deficits in the total MMSE (35%) compared to the post-COVID group (5%), whereas the majority of both groups (75–70%) reported cognitive impairments in the total MoCA. The post-COVID group reported significantly higher score in MMSE subtests of language (p = 0.02) and in MoCA subtests of executive functions (p = 0.05), language (p = 0.01), and abstraction (p = 0.02) compared to the COVID group. Regarding emotional disturbances, ~40% of patients presented with mild to moderate depression (57.9–60%). The post–COVID-19 group reported significantly higher levels of distress at the IES-R compared to the COVID group (p = 0.02). These findings highlight the gravity of neuropsychological and psychological symptoms that can be induced by COVID-19 infection and the need for tailored rehabilitation, including cognitive training and psychological support.

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) pandemic has induced considerable psychological distress in healthcare workers, increasing the risk of burnout. This research aimed to investigate sociodemographic, work‐related, COVID‐19‐related, and psychological factors associated with emotional exhaustion (the core component of burnout) among healthcare professionals during the first wave of the COVID‐19 pandemic in Italy. A cross‐sectional study was conducted to assess risk (e.g. perceived risk and fear of contagion, stress) and protective factors (e.g. job satisfaction, resilience) for emotional exhaustion among 616 hospital staff. Women, nurses, shift workers, those with a permanent contract, and frontline workers reported significantly higher levels of emotional exhaustion compared to others. Significant risk factors predicting emotional exhaustion were prolonged use of personal protective equipment, increased work pressure, lack of support, and prolonged working hours; psychologically protective factors were resilience and job satisfaction, while perceived stress was found to be a significant psychological risk factor. Organizational interventions should focus on these factors to prevent the onset of burnout.