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Influence of COVID-19 on stress at work during the first wave of the pandemic among emergency health care workers. Disaster medicine and public health preparedness Dupuy, M., Dutheil, F., Alvarez, A., Godet, T., Adeyemi, O. J., Clinchamps, M., Schmidt, J., Lambert, C., Bouillon-Minois, J. B. 2023: 1-21

Abstract

For more than 2 years, COVID-19 has forced worldwide healthcare systems to adapt their daily practice. These adaptations add to the already stressful demands of providing timely medical care in an overcrowded healthcare system. Specifically, the COVID-19 pandemic added stress to an already overwhelmed emergency and critical care health care workers (HCWs) on the frontlines during the first wave of the pandemic.This study assessed comparative subjective and objective stress among frontline HCWs using a visual analog scale and biometric data, specifically heart rate variability (HRV).Setting and Participants: This is a prospective, observational study using surveys and heart rate monitoring among HCWs who work in three frontline healthcare units (emergency department, mobile intensive care unit, and intensive care unit) in the University Hospital of Clermont-Ferrand, France. Two sessions were performed: one during the first wave of the pandemic (April 10 to May 10, 2020) and one after the first wave of the pandemic (June 10 to July 15, 2020).Main outcomes and measures: The primary outcome is the difference in stress levels between the two time points. Secondary objectives were the impact of overcrowding, sociodemographics, and other variables on stress levels. We also assessed the correlation between subjective and objective stress levels.Among 199 HCWs, 98 participated in biometric monitoring, 84 had biometric and survey data, and 12 with only biometric data. Subjective stress was higher during the second time point compared to the first (4.39±2.11 vs. 3.16±2.34 p=0,23). There were higher objective stress levels with a decrease in HRV between the first and the second time points. Furthermore, we found higher patient volumes as a source of stress during the second time point. We did not find any significant correlation between subjective and objective stress levels.HCWs had higher stress levels between the two waves of the pandemic. Overcrowding in the emergency department is associated with higher stress levels. We did not find any correlation between subjective and objective stress among intensive care and emergency HCWs during the first wave of the pandemic.

View details for DOI 10.1017/dmp.2023.134

View details for PubMedID 37533367