The radiology workforce's response to the COVID-19 pandemic in the Middle East, North Africa and India

Abstract

Introduction This study aimed to investigate the response of the radiology workforce to the impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on professional practice in India and eight other Middle Eastern and North African countries. It further investigated the levels of fear and anxiety among this workforce during the pandemic. Methods A quantitative cross-sectional study was conducted using an online survey from 22 May-2 June 2020 among radiology workers employed during the COVID-19 pandemic. The survey collected information related to the following themes: (1) demographic characteristics, (2) the impact of COVID-19 on radiology practice, and (3) fear and (4) anxiety emanating from the global pandemic. Results We received 903 responses. Fifty-eight percent had completed training on infection control required for handling COVID-19 patients. A large proportion (79.5%) of the respondents strongly agreed or agreed that personal protective equipment (PPE) was adequately available at work during the pandemic. The respondents reported experiences of work-related stress (42.9%), high COVID-19 fear score (83.3%) and anxiety (10%) during the study period. Conclusion There was a perceived workload increase in general x-ray and Computed Tomography imaging procedures because they were the key modalities for the initial and follow-up investigations of COVID-19. However, there was adequate availability of PPE during the study period. Most radiology workers were afraid of being infected with the virus. Fear was predominant among workers younger than 30 years of age and also in temporary staff. Anxiety occurred completely independent of gender, age, experience, country, place of work, and work status. Implications for practice It is important to provide training and regular mental health support and evaluations for healthcare professionals, including radiology workers, during similar future pandemics.

What We Have Learned from Two Decades of Epidemics and Pandemics: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of the Psychological Burden of Frontline Healthcare Workers

“…We retrieved 1,640 records from the electronic databases (after removal of duplicates) and 355 from the additional searches. After screening of title and/or abstract, we assessed 417 full texts for eligibility, of which 331 were excluded for a variety of reasons (e.g., mismatch with inclusion criteria, mixed population, wrong focus), and 86 [ 41 , 42 , 43 , 44 , 45 , 46 , 47 , 48 , 49 , 50 , 51 , 52 , 53 , 54 , 55 , 56 , 57 , 58 , 59 , 60 , 61 , 62 , 63 , 64 , 65 , 66 , 67 , 68 , 69 , 70 , 71 , 72 , 73 , 74 , 75 , 76 , 77 , 78 , 79 , 80 , 81 , 82 , 83 , 84 , 85 , 86 , 87 , 88 , 89 , 90 , 91 , 92 , 93 , 94 , 95 , 96 , 97 , 98 , 99 , 100 , 101 , 102 , 103 , 104 , 105 , 106 , …”

“…Other studies were conducted in the United States [ 68 , 89 , 106 ], Iran [ 100 , 105 , 112 ], Turkey [ 80 , 104 , 111 ], Germany [ 90 , 120 ], Pakistan [ 66 , 87 ], Poland [ 115 ], India [ 108 ], Egypt [ 81 ], Brazil [ 77 ], France [ 70 ], Spain [ 94 ], Saudi Arabia [ 98 ], and Singapore [ 109 ]. Two studies recruited participants from different countries [ 69 , 82 ]. Several articles (e.g., Honey and Wang [ 58 ], Elshami et al [ 82 ], An et al [ 67 ]) resulted from international collaboration.…”

“…Two studies recruited participants from different countries [ 69 , 82 ]. Several articles (e.g., Honey and Wang [ 58 ], Elshami et al [ 82 ], An et al [ 67 ]) resulted from international collaboration.…”

“…64-66, 77, 79-81, 84-89, 91, 96, 98, 100, 103, 105, 106, 108, 109, 111-115, 120, 126], nine during the outbreak[69,73,82,95,97,101,110,118,125], 32 in later phases[41, 42, 44-46, 50, 53, 54, 56, 59-61, 67, 68, 70-72, 74, 78, 83, 90, 92-94, 102, 104, 107, 117, 119, 121, 122, 124], and eight after the end of the outbreak[47-49, 52, 57, 58, 63, 99]. Another seven studies focusing on SARS[43,51,55], MERS[64], and COVID-19[75,76,123] also included follow-up data.…”

Knowledge, Attitude and Practice About Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) Pandemic and Its Psychological Impact on Students and Their Studies: A Cross-Sectional Study Among Pharmacy Students in Saudi Arabia

“… 33–38 Studies have also shown that work-related stress has increased among healthcare professionals (HCPs) during the pandemic. 39 , 40 For example, Akudjedu et al reported that 63.2% of the radiology workforce in the UK have experienced work-related stress during the pandemic. 40 In view of this, knowledge, attitude and practices towards the disease and associated preventive measures among the public and HCPs are an integral part to help control the spread of the pandemic and its impact.…”