Health Care Professionals' Perception of Stress During COVID-19 Pandemic in Iran: A Qualitative Study

Abstract

BackgroundThe health care professionals have a unique role in controlling the pandemic of COVID-19 and decreasing its mortality and morbidity. The burden of care and psychological impact of working in this circumstance can be unfavorable for many caregivers. In this qualitative study, the health care professionals' perception of stress during COVID-19 pandemic in Iran was assessed and several implications were proposed.Materials and MethodsThe participants were selected among staff who were providing medical services to patients with COVID-19 infection at the largest teaching hospital in Iran. Quota sampling was used to include physicians, nurses, and other paramedics. The grounded theory was selected to develop interview questions. Moreover, the thematic approach was applied to analyze the data content and data analysis was performed based on open and axial coding following the implementation of codes in MAQDA software.ResultsA wide range of psychological reactions including anxiety, feelings of guilt, depression, and anger were detected in the staff. Uncertainty accompanied by the pandemic of COVID-19 and shortcomings in preparation for crisis management were recognized as the two main sources of stress among health care professionals.ConclusionBased on the findings of the study, it is important to identify and evaluate the mental health needs of healthcare professionals. To reduce stress among health staff at COVID-19 care centers, it seems that the optimal strategy is simultaneous improvement in equipment and crisis management.

An investigation of the incidence of post-traumatic stress disorder, turnover intention and psychological resilience among medical staff in a public hospital in China during the outbreak of the omicron variant in the COVID-19 pandemic in 2022

“…The detection and treatment of PTSD in people after a disaster has become a major concern in medical psychology ( 4 ). During the SARS epidemic, medical staff were more susceptible to stress disorders than executives due to the need to cope with the potential risk of infection to themselves and their families ( 5 ) and the threat of a shortage of personal protective equipment ( 6 ), and some medical staff were afraid to go home after work or even considered quitting ( 7 ). COVID-19 has been spreading worldwide over the past 2 years, and the global impact is now growing rapidly with the discovery of the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant (B.1.1.529) ( 8 ).…”

Pandemic management impacts Slovak health care workers’ quality of life during the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic

“…We found that an especially serious COVID-19 experience, work stress and barriers in health care provision affected the QoL of hospital HCWs. Regarding personal COVID-19 experience, a mechanism may be that our HCWs felt lonely, angry, guilty and worried about their own health and about the high possibility of spreading the infection, even to their relatives [ 24 , 28 , 29 , 35 , 41 – 43 ]. In a study by Nohesara et al, HCWs expressed feelings of guilt for being possible carriers, due to lack of treatment facilities and vaccinations, and for not having the chance to take care of the loved one [ 44 ].…”

“…First, they might perceive essential work stress because of the origin of their work, such as long hours and night shifts, a heavy workload (responsibilities, patients, pressure loads), dealing with pain and emotional distress, and facing a shortage of HCWs [ 14 , 36 , 37 ]. Second, they may have experienced additional PanMan stress due to new pandemic occupational changes, such as redeployment (loss of team and routine), no possibility of taking proper breaks or time off, a lack of preparedness, non-efficient management, poor working conditions (safety concerns, lack of and use of PPE, disinformation, ambiguity of performance), lack of effective treatments specifically for COVID-19, and death of their patients [ 10 , 13 , 25 , 30 – 32 , 40 , 41 , 43 ]. Evidently, experiencing these various stressful work and PanMan circumstances may have accumulated and thus could have had an impact on all domains of QoL.…”

Increased anxiety and stress-related visits to the Shanghai psychiatric emergency department during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 compared to 2018–2019

“…Evidence indicates that the COVID-19 pandemic has generated substantial increases in the incidence of depression, anxiety, and acute stress disorders (5)(6)(7). There is widespread consensus that mental health problems are increasing and are mainly caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly due to social isolation, fear of infection, parental distress, and family financial stress (8,9).…”