Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) in Hong Kong in 2003: stress and psychological impact among frontline healthcare workers

Abstract

These findings shed light on the need for hospital administrators to be aware of the extent and sources of stress and psychological distress among frontline healthcare workers during disease outbreak.

Concerns and Preparedness for an Avian Influenza Pandemic: A Comparison between Community Hospital and Tertiary Hospital Healthcare Workers

“…A possible reason is that these respondents placed the anxiety of their colleagues above their own. Although perceived employer support was a protective factor against stress in other studies 4) , we did not find a significant association in our study. A possible reason is that most HCWs (88.5%) were already confident that their employer will look after their needs if they fell ill with AI.…”

“…Our results are also consistent with other studies that found that most HCWs have greater stress and workload, work overtime and do work normally done by others during an infectious disease outbreak 1,4) . A higher percentage of TH HCWs felt that there would be more conflict amongst colleagues at work and the need to work overtime.…”

“…This is consistent with a study which found that danger to personal health was one of the most prevalent fears among HCWs who experienced significant psychological stress during the SARS crisis 4) . HCWs are likely to be as, if not more, concerned than the average citizen because they probably have a greater understanding of the associated risks.…”

“…As pointed out by Qureshi et al, the most effective methods to allay fears and concerns for personal safety are probably HCW education, provision of appropriate PPE, and assurance of effective environmental controls 11) . There is a need to put psychological concerns and stresses of HCWs on the agenda when preparing for an AI pandemic because there is a tendency to neglect this area with resources being directed only at alleviating physical morbidity 4) . There were several limitations in this study.…”

“…The increasing travel and trade within and beyond the region has been a significant contributing factor in this emergence 3) . It has been well documented that healthcare workers (HCWs) suffered from significant stress during the SARS outbreak 4) . As the frontline 'troops', they were, and will be at the forefront of danger in such infectious disease outbreaks.…”