There are many studies that addresses COVID-19's effects on healthcare professionals. Understanding the psychological effects of COVID-19 on healthcare workers and the factors that affect it will help create effective treatments to improve HCWs' mental wellbeing and reduce the strain on the healthcare system. Our findings demonstrate that self-reported levels of stress, anxiety, and depression which were common among healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, varied prevalence of anxiety, depression, and general psychological issues were seen in various subgroups of healthcare employees. Front-line healthcare employees were more likely to experience stress, anxiety, depression, and other psychological issues compared to non-frontline healthcare workers. To add, most healthcare professionals choose individual counseling over group psychotherapy and media-based mental health resources, and most of participants were aware of the hospital staff's access to mental health services resources.
Our study showed that, most healthcare professionals (41.6%) experience anxiety when working with COVID-19 patients. This study's conclusions about psychological issues are in line with recent findings from two other Chinese research studies with relatively modest sample sizes (15, 16) In these two earlier surveys, the prevalence of self-reported symptoms of anxiety, sadness, and insomnia was, respectively, 44.7%, 50.7%, and 36.1% (21) and 44.6%, 50.4%, and 34.0% (15). Another study found that medical health employees reported higher symptoms than non-medical health workers, confirming the severity of the mental health issues among healthcare workers (17). Other studies also confirmed our findings that during an epidemic, healthcare personnel are substantially more likely to experience psychological issues (such as anxiety, sadness, and insomnia) (18, 19, 20). his highlights the need for psychological support for healthcare professionals during a pandemic and may be related to the increased risk of infection brought on by exposure to COVID-19 patients and the arduous effort required in caring for them. (21) Even if there are many steps being done to lessen the stress and psychological trauma experienced by healthcare personnel, we advise starting psychosocial support and potential solutions. Getting psychological education, psychosocial assistance, and sympathetic understanding started along with motivational boosting sessions will help people cope during these extremely trying times (22).
Previous study reported a link between frontline HCWs and a higher risk of Depression, Anxiety and Stress symptoms. Healthcare planning for the present and any potential future public health emergency should prioritize screening for mental health issues in populations of concern, such as HCWs (23). Plans for emergency preparedness should include the provision of psychosocial treatment to affected individuals. People themselves must maintain their own mental health in the best possible condition. Individuals must take responsibility for their behavior and emotional health. Occasionally, straightforward self-help methods like biofeedback and mindfulness could be helpful during these trying epidemic times (24, 25). Moreover, the use of psychiatric teleconsultation to provide timely psychological support must be prioritized. As the COVID-19 pandemic has horrifying ramifications for both individual and shared difficulties with emotional and social functioning, there should be a strong emphasis on identifying psychosocial needs and providing care to those who are affected, as well as to healthcare professionals and the general public. It ought to be combined into a comprehensive pandemic healthcare system. Having said that, we must not overlook our own accountability for looking after ourselves and our grief.
In the present study, there was no statistically significant relationship between the stress level and the demographic factors. This was particularly interesting because when compared to Nurses and Technologists, radiologists tend to have less chances of front-line interactions with the patients, however despite this scenario, there was no statistical significance between the working groups although the small participating number of radiologist in the study sample makes it difficult to draw any statistically relevant conclusion. Most of the staff are aware of the Mental health services and Counselling / Psychotherapy services offered by HMC. Some of them are unaware of the Mental health services and Counselling / Psychotherapy services offered by HMC. The World Health Organization, Department of Pandemic and Epidemic Diseases (WHO-PED) develops strategies, initiatives and mechanisms to address emerging and re-emerging epidemic diseases to reduce the impact of affected populations and limit international spread by means of established policies and protocols on the role of the healthcare team in dealing with diseases patients and formulation of more practical solutions (26). Recent experience for the Ebola outbreak demonstrates how the lack of preparation and communication gap during the alert phase when a pathogen has been identified contribute to the delayed response and increase the number of mortality and morbidity (27). We need to invest in and accelerate protective and preventive measures to reduce the burden on healthcare workers on a more permanent basis imposing existing evidence-based interventions for alleviating psychological distress in public health emergencies (28) A recent study for mental health science during COVID-19 recommends to identify interventions that can be delivered under pandemic conditions to mitigate deteriorations, psychological well-being and support mental health and besides call to action advised that personalized psychological approaches are likely to be a key to address the psychological needs of the healthcare workers (29, 30). We suggest having a regular monitoring of the mental health services provided to the staff as well as the utilization of the services offered by the HMC. Rather we would like to suggest an additional counselling which can be great help for better understanding of the situation and helping them in coping from the pandemic situations.
Limitations:
There are a few limitations on this study. Firstly, this online survey was cross-sectional and had small sample size, thus the sample may not be entirely representative although no causal interferences can be proven. Secondly, given that the survey was not carried out at the height of the outbreak, retrieval and selection biases must be considered. Third, the study only included a small number of nurses, technologists, and radiologists, which may restrict the generalizability of results. Self-report questionnaires that looked at psychological issues were used to get the data, which may not be the same as clinical diagnostic interviews.