Impact of viral epidemic outbreaks on mental health of healthcare workers: a rapid systematic review

Abstract

Objectives:To examine the impact of providing healthcare during or after health emergencies caused by viral epidemic outbreaks on healthcare workers´(HCWs) mental health, and to assess the available evidence base regarding interventions to reduce such impact.Design: Systematic rapid review and meta-analysis.Data sources: MEDLINE, Embase, and PsycINFO, searched up to 23 March 2020. Method:We selected observational and experimental studies examining the impact on mental health of epidemic outbreaks on HCWs. One reviewer screened titles and abstracts, and two reviewers independently reviewed full texts. We extracted study characteristics, symptoms, prevalence of mental health problems, risk factors, mental health interventions, and its impact. We assessed risk of bias for each individual study and used GRADE to ascertain the certainty of the evidence. We conducted a narrative and tabulated synthesis of the results. We pooled data using random-effects meta-analyses to estimate the prevalence of specific mental health problems. Results:We included 61 studies (56 examining impact on mental health and five about interventions to reduce such impact). Most were conducted in Asia (59%), in the hospital setting (79%), and examined the impact of the SARS epidemic (69%). The pooled prevalence was higher for anxiety (45%, 95% CI 21 to 69%; 6 studies, 3,373 participants), followed by

The Effect of COVID-19 on Mental Health and Wellbeing in a Representative Sample of Australian Adults

“…Existing work has focused on those individuals most directly affected by disease (e.g., infected individuals and their families, healthcare workers ( 1 – 5 ) and examined mental health impacts across broader communities only after the acute phase has passed ( 1 ). In the acute phase however, fear about potential exposure to infection, loss of employment, and financial strain are also likely to increase psychological distress in the broader population ( 1 – 4 ). This distress may be further exacerbated in individuals who have experienced prior traumatic events ( 2 ).…”

Occurrence, prevention, and management of the psychological effects of emerging virus outbreaks on healthcare workers: rapid review and meta-analysis

“…13 43 This finding was reflected in another systematic review, which only found three studies that evaluated interventions to improve the resilience of clinicians working in a viral outbreak, one of which was in preparation for a potential influenza pandemic. 77 The third study in that review was the before and after evaluation of the effect of a SARS prevention programme on anxiety and depression during the outbreak in Taiwan that was included in our review. 35 Study quality was only fair, with 45 out of the 59 studies scoring 7 or higher on the Joanna Briggs Institute tool.…”

Burnout and Depression Among Psychiatry Residents During COVID-19 Pandemic

“…They assessed a wide range of disturbing psychological reactions for their impact on the mental health of workers providing health care during or after health emergencies caused by viral epidemic outbreaks. Anxiety (45%) was the highest pooled prevalence, followed by depression (38%), acute stress disorder (31%), and post-traumatic stress disorder (19%), while the prevalence of burnout was 29% (in 1,168 participants), as reported by three studies (8).…”

“…This result is in line with the result of a rapid systematic review conducted by Ricci-Cabello and colleagues. They reported that the pool prevalence of depression among health care workers during a viral epidemic outbreak was 38% (8). Our study also aimed to analyze the complex associations between depression and burnout among the study population.…”