COVID-19 pandemic effects on health worker’s mental health: Systematic review and meta-analysis

Abstract

Background. Healthcare workers (HCWs) exposed to coronavirus 19 are at high risk of developing mental health concerns across several domains. The aim of this study is to determine the updated, global frequency of these outcomes. Methods. A multistep literature search was performed from database inception until March 1, 2021. PRISMA/MOOSE-compliant systematic review and PROSPERO protocol were used to identify studies reporting on depression, anxiety, acute stress, post-traumatic symptoms, insomnia, and burnout in HCWs exposed to COVID-19. A quantitative meta-analysis with random effects was conducted to analyze the proportion rate of the mental health disorders. Sensitivity analyses were performed to investigate the effect of the different continents and scales. Meta-regression analyses were conducted to examine the effect of gender, age, and work position.Results. 239 articles were included (n = 271,319 HCWs, mean age = 36.08 AE 8.33 (66.99% female). 33% HCWs exposed to COVID-19 reported depressive symptoms (95% confidence intervals [CI] = 28-38%), 42% anxiety features (95% CI = 35-48), 40% acute stress (95% CI = 32-47), 32% post-traumatic symptoms (95% CI = 26-37%), 42% insomnia (95% CI = 36-48), 37% burnout (95% CI = 31-42). Sensitivity analyses did not show statistically significant differences. Meta-regressions found a statistically significant lower prevalence of post-traumatic symptoms in Asia. Conclusions. HCWs exposed to COVID-19 were found to have a significant prevalence of mental health concerns in all domains analyzed. The effects of COVID-19 on HCWs' mental health could be underestimated and the future consequences dismissed.

Post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, and depression symptoms in healthcare workers during COVID-19 pandemic in Colombia

“…A pooled prevalence of 23.21% (95% IC, 17.7-29.13, p<0.001) of anxiety symptoms in HCWs was reported after a year of the COVID – 19 Pandemic ( Pappa et al, 2020 ). Moreover, a recent meta-analysis with larger sample sizes (n=271.319) reported a 42% prevalence of anxiety symptoms (95% IC, 35-48, p<0.001) in HCWs during the same period of time ( Aymerich et al, 2022 ). It is possible that the differences between the studies in the pooled prevalence are associated with a higher number of studies involved in the Aymerich et al publication and the period time evaluated.…”

Influencing Factors of High PTSD Among Medical Staff During COVID-19: Evidences From Both Meta-analysis and Subgroup Analysis

“…The medical security service is very important, so the top priority is to solve the problem of PTSD prevalence of medical staff. In the previously published meta-analysis[ 22 , 23 , 24 , 25 ], the impact on the mental health of medical staff of different races during the COVID-19 pandemic was partly mentioned while not consistent. Some studies pointed out that the distribution areas were different; races were different, the mode of education and income were different, the fear of infection and the lack of confidence in the vaccine were related to the changes of mental state [ 26 , 27 ].…”

Mental health problems and needs of frontline healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Spain: A qualitative analysis

“…Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, healthcare workers (HCWs) from pandemic hotspots around the world have reported mental health symptoms such as anxiety, depression, acute and posttraumatic stress, and insomnia (1)(2)(3)(4)(5). Pre-pandemic cohort studies are lacking, and we cannot know whether these problems were more prevalent after the COVID-19 outbreak (6); however, follow-up studies suggest that they might persist for at least 1 year (7)(8)(9)(10), leading to exhaustion and resignation (11).…”