Facing the Unknown: Healthcare Workers’ Concerns, Experiences, and Burnout during the COVID-19 Pandemic—A Mixed-Methods Study in an Israeli Hospital

Abstract

The aim of this study was to describe the experiences of healthcare workers during the first wave of the coronavirus crisis. In a mixed-methods study, data were collected through an online survey completed by 263 hospital staff members, as well as 10 semi-structured, in-depth interviews with physicians, nurses, and medical technologists working on coronavirus wards. Respondents expressed extremely high levels of concern for family members, but they were less apprehensive about their own health and safety. Nurses displayed more apprehension and burnout compared to healthcare workers in other professional roles. The in-depth interviews reinforced and supplemented the survey findings and deepened our understanding of the experience of healthcare workers directly involved in the first wave of coronavirus patient care. The findings of this study illuminate the main concerns of hospital staff during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic and deepen our understanding of issues that require systemic attention in order to strengthen mental resilience among hospital staff. The steps required to continue fighting the virus include the development of a mental and emotional support network for healthcare workers to safeguard them and their health, as they care for patients, and to provide ongoing psychosocial support. As later waves of COVID-19 continued, these recommendations are even more pertinent.

Resilience among health care workers while working during a pandemic: A systematic review and meta synthesis of qualitative studies

“…You are the soldiers fighting a common enemy, an enemy which you don't know” ( Jones et al, 2017 ). During COVID-19, a sense of mission was similarly likened to “going to war” and … “was a job that needed to be done” ( Dopelt, Bashkin, Davidovitch, & Asna, 2021 ). HCWs reflected upon a heightened sense of role-meaning during COVID-19; it was viewed as a “vocation” ( Stoichitoiu & Baicus, 2021 ), and “…exhausting but fulfilling’( Veerapen & McKeown, 2021 ).…”

Need for support among healthcare professionals during the COVID-19 pandemic: a qualitative study at an academic hospital in the Netherlands

“…Similarly, the study by Dopelt et al 16 found that a lack of recognition and appreciation led to frustration and disappointment in healthcare workers. 16 Next to support by managers, team support and bonding turned out to be important. For this purpose, people usually reverted to natural, pre-existing bonds of trust.…”

“…Results of this study showed that lack of support by the senior management severely impacted on professionals’ well-being and motivation. Similarly, the study by Dopelt et al 16 found that a lack of recognition and appreciation led to frustration and disappointment in healthcare workers 16. Next to support by managers, team support and bonding turned out to be important.…”

“…The need for high-intensity medical care rapidly increased during the COVID-19 pandemic, resulting in stressful work circumstances 7. First, at the departments in direct contact with patients with COVID-19, professionals were confronted with the intensity of continuously wearing personal protective equipment, changes in responsibilities and tasks, moral dilemmas and the risk of infection for the healthcare professionals themselves and consequently their families 8–16. Interpersonal contact with patients’ family members, one of the core features of the professional practice of nurses, was dramatically reduced due to visiting limitations in most hospitals 17 18.…”

Psychological Aspects of Media Communication during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Insights from Healthcare and Pharmacy Specialists in Lithuania

“…Frontline healthcare workers (HCWs) and pharmacy specialists are the ones who encounter unprecedented mental distress. The current pandemic of COVID-19 has been reported to be associated with anxiety, stress and depressive symptoms for HCWs [ 22 ]. Healthcare workers’ mental health risk and resilience factors have been addressed in recent studies, and clear communication was identified as one of the significant protective factors [ 23 ].…”