scholarly journals Psychological impact of covid19 on out-of-hospital emergency services

Author(s):  
Lucía Cardona ◽  
◽  
Desirée Camus ◽  
Aroa Pons ◽  
◽  
...  

This article focuses on how the COVID-19 pandemic affects Emergency Medical Assistant’s (EMA) mental health. In addition, it aims to define which psychological consequences it entails and if they have received postgraduate training on how to face the pandemic by the Health System or organizations that depend on it. This is a qualitative exploratory study of a phenomenological type where a semi- structured ad-hoc interview has been used for data collection, answered by EMA. The results show the psychological impact that COVID-19 has had on the work and personal life of these workers, the lack of psychological resources and the multiple psychological consequences developed as a result of the neglect of their mental health. EMA reaffirm the psychological challenge the COVID-19 pandemic means, creating situation of greater stress and anxiety than implied internal impediments for the job, family and friends. Therefore, they express the necessity for psychological support, being able to develop a diversity of psychological help resources that allow EMA to release the pychological oppression caused by the added stressors of the COVID-19 pandemic.

2021 ◽  
pp. 003022282110009
Author(s):  
Li Ping Wong ◽  
Sik Loo Tan ◽  
Haridah Alias ◽  
Thiam Eng Sia ◽  
Aik Saw

The COVID-19 pandemic has put a hold on the Silent Mentor Programme (SMP); this pause has not only caused unprecedented challenges for the delivery of medical education but has forced changes in the programme ceremony sessions. We aimed to describe the psychological impact and experiences of family members of silent mentors during the COVID-19 pandemic using qualitative interviews. Many expressed feelings of remorse and unrest about the unprecedented delay of the SMP. The delay increased negative emotions particularly among some elderly family members; however, there was no prominent negative effect on their functional health and well-being. Several participants relayed the belief that the soul cannot rest until the body receives a proper burial while some worried about the deterioration of the physical condition of the mentors. In conclusion, findings provide insights into the importance of not overlooking the mental health implications of delaying the SMP in future outbreaks or crises.


2012 ◽  
Vol 27 (4) ◽  
pp. 359-368 ◽  
Author(s):  
James M. Shultz ◽  
Avi Besser ◽  
Fiona Kelly ◽  
Andrea Allen ◽  
Susan Schmitz ◽  
...  

AbstractIntroductionFew studies have focused on the mental health consequences of indirect exposure to disasters caused by naturally occurring hazards. The present study assessed indirect exposure to the 2010 earthquake in Haiti among Haitian-Americans now living in Miami; these subjects had no direct exposure to the earthquake, but retained their cultural identity, language, and connection to family and friends in Haiti.MethodsTwo months following the earthquake a sample of Haitian-Americans was surveyed inquiring about: (1) their psychological reactions to the quake; (2) types of exposures experienced by their family members and friends in Haiti; and (3) symptom levels of (a) major depression, (b) generalized anxiety disorder, (c) complicated grief, (d) mental health status, and (e) physical health status.ResultsHaitian-Americans living in Miami experienced a broad spectrum of indirect exposures to the 2010 earthquake in Haiti. These exposures were strongly associated with psychological distress, trauma-related mental health consequences, and diminished health status. Most notable was the multiplicity of indirect exposures to the on-scene experiences of multiple family members and friends in Haiti.ConclusionsConsideration should be given to the psychological impact and needs for support among indirectly-exposed populations with strong affiliation to directly-impacted victims.Shultz JM, Besser A, Kelly F, Allen A, Schmitz S, Hausmann V, Marcelin LH, Neria Y. Psychological consequences of indirect exposure to disaster due to the Haiti earthquake.Prehosp Disaster Med.2012;27(4):1-10.


Rescue Press ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-1
Author(s):  
Walter De Luca ◽  
Yari Barnabino ◽  
Flavio Gheri ◽  
Enrico Lucenti

Introduction The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the crucial role of nurses and their commitment to their work in facing the situation. Italy has seen a substantial increase in the number of requests for respiratory assistance, and nurses employed on emergency vehicles have been overwhelmed by the situation, with psychological and physical repercussions such as depression and Post Traumatic Stress Disease (PTSD). The study aims to assess the impact of the pandemic on nurses in the Local Emergency System (SET). Method Depression and PTSD via “Screening Questionnaire for Disaster Mental Health”. The questionnaire was distributed among Italian SET nurses with non-probability sampling between 1 December 2020 and 31 January 2021. Results A total of 441 Italian nurses participated in the study, with an average age of 43.28 years (SD ± 9.38) and average working experience in EMS of 11.68 years (SD ± 7.98). 6.12% of the participants worked in an Operations Centre (CO), 72.34% worked in local emergency services and 21.54% worked in both settings. 17.01% of the sample were at high risk for PTSD and 15.65% for depression.


Author(s):  
Laura Ripoll Sanchis ◽  
◽  
Desirée Camús Jorques ◽  
Malena Ballesta Benavent ◽  
◽  
...  

The present article focuses on detecting the need for comprehensive care in out-of-hospital emergencies in Valencia. In addition, it aims to determine the need to carry out the social and health coordination essential for this purpose. It is a qualitative exploratory study of phenomenological type where a semi-structured ad-hoc interview answered by professionals of out-of-hospital emergencies has been used for data collection. The results show that comprehensive care in out-of-hospital emergency services does not yet exist in Valencia, despite the benefits demonstrated in other autonomous communities on the biopsychosocial well-being of the population and emergency service personnel. The personnel of out-of-hospital emergency services express the need for comprehensive out-of-hospital care in Valencia to be able to assist the population in a holistic manner, covering all the needs presented by individuals, families or groups, including the needs of emergency care personnel. It is essential to take political measures that make social and health care coordination possible through common protocols and procedures among health care, management and political personnel.


2009 ◽  
Vol 24 (S1) ◽  
pp. 1-1
Author(s):  
H.W. Revollo ◽  
A. Qureshi

Acculturative stress is increasingly understood to mediate the relationship between immigration and mental health. The bullk of research in this area, however, has not addressed psychological factors that affect the degree to which the migratory process is experienced as stressful nor what sorts of strategies are used to manage stressors related to migration. The appraisal of a situation as stressful is related to the material, social and psychological resources. Coping style can mediate the psychological impact of the stressor. It would appear that the relationship between stress and coping is complex and multifaceted, and not amenable to a simple path analysis. To better understand how the migratory experience is related to mental health requires elucidating the relationship between the objective event, how it is appraised, and the coping response used. A further confounding issue is that the bulk of theorizing and instrumentation in coping and stress research is predicated on a Euro-American paradigm, and thus not necessarily appropriate for use with other cultures. In addition, it would appear that coping style not only mediates the relationship between stress and psychopathology, but is also related to the appraisal process. This paper will provide a critical analysis of conceptual and measurement issues related to stress, appraisal, and coping as applied to the migratory experience. The paper will conclude with an outline a research study currently underway that may provide insight into some of these issues.


2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 952-952
Author(s):  
Claire Pauly ◽  
Valerie Schröder ◽  
Laure Pauly ◽  
Rejko Krüger ◽  
Anja Leist

Abstract Background. Mid-March 2020, with exponentially increasing COVID-19 infections, Luxembourg closed schools and businesses, and declared a crisis (état de crise) to implement confinement measures, including orders to not leave the home unless to fulfill essential needs. The psychological consequences of these policy responses to the pandemic on older people, considered a high-risk group, were unknown at the time. The aim of this study was to use the nationally representative CON-VINCE study that assessed mental health at the height of the confinement measures mid-April 2020, to assess the psychological impact of quarantine on older adults. Method. A total of 451 participants aged 60+ years (55.0% male) filled in the CES-D, the GAD-7 and the 3-item loneliness scale that measured depressive symptoms, level of anxiety, and feelings of social isolation. Results. Mean age was 67.7 years (SD 5.5), average number of school years were 13.1 (SD 3.6). The participants were mainly of Luxembourgish nationality (87.8%), and a majority (69.8%) was married. Clinically relevant depression scores were present in 13.1%, generalized anxiety in 1.8%, and self-perceived isolation in 16.9% of participants. Number of depressive symptoms was associated with perceived isolation (p<0.001) and current exercise levels (p=0.02). Discussion. The rate of older adults with clinically relevant impaired mental health was similar to pre-pandemic levels in Luxembourg, suggesting that negative mental health consequences of the confinement measures were largely absent. Possible explanations are that confinement was considered a universal experience, and that the healthcare system remained functional, unlike in other countries at the time.


PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (12) ◽  
pp. e0259852
Author(s):  
Hsien-Yi Chiu ◽  
Nien-Feng Chang Liao ◽  
Yu Lin ◽  
Yu-Huei Huang

This study aimed to investigate the perceived threat, mental health outcomes, behavior changes, and associated predictors among psoriasis patients during the COVID-19 pandemic. The COVID-19 has been known to increase the health risks of patients with psoriasis owing to patients’ immune dysregulation, comorbidities, and immunosuppressive drug use. A total of 423 psoriasis patients not infected with COVID-19 was recruited from the Department of Dermatology, National Taiwan University Hospital Hsin-Chu Branch, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, and China Medical University Hospital from May 2020 to July 2020. A self-administered questionnaire was used to evaluate the perceived threat, mental health, and psychological impact on psoriasis patients using the Perceived COVID-19-Related Risk Scale score for Psoriasis (PCRSP), depression, anxiety, insomnia, and stress-associated symptoms (DAISS) scales, and Impact of Event Scale-Revised (IES-R), respectively. Over 94% of 423 patients with psoriasis perceived threat to be ≥ 1 due to COVID-19; 18% of the patients experienced psychological symptoms more frequently ≥ 1, and 22% perceived psychological impact during the pandemic to be ≥ 1. Multivariable linear regression showed that the higher psoriasis severity and comorbidities were significantly associated with higher PCRSP, DAISS, and IES-R scores. The requirement for a prolonged prescription and canceling or deferring clinic visits for psoriasis treatment among patients are the two most common healthcare-seeking behavior changes during the COVID-19 pandemic. Psoriasis patients who perceived a higher COVID-19 threat were more likely to require a prolonged prescription and have their clinic visits canceled or deferred. Surveillance of the psychological consequences in psoriasis patients due to COVID-19 must be implemented to avoid psychological consequences and inappropriate treatment delays or withdrawal.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abid Hasan Khan ◽  
Mst. Sadia Sultana ◽  
Sahadat Hossain ◽  
M Tasdik Hasan ◽  
Helal Uddin Ahmed ◽  
...  

Background: COVID-19 is imposing threat both on physical and mental health since its outbreak. Bangladesh adopted lockdown strategy with potential consequences on day to day life, mental and physical health and this study aims to explore the impact of COVID-19 on mental health and wellbeing among Bangladeshi students. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted between 9th and 23th April 2020 among 505 college and university students. Data was collected by using online questionnaire including DASS 21 and IES. Descriptive analysis and bivariate linear regression were performed to examine the association of variables. Results: 28.5 % of the respondents had stress, 33.3% anxiety, 46.92% depression from mild to extremely severe, according to DASS 21 and 69.31% had event-specific distress from mild to severe in terms of severity according to IES. Perceiving physical symptoms as COVID-19 was significantly associated with DASS stress subscale (B=3.71, 95% CI: 1.01 to 6.40), DASS anxiety subscale (B= 3.95, 95% CI: 1.95 to 5.96), DASS depression subscale (B=3.82, 95% CI: 0.97 to 6.67) and IES scale (B=7.52, 95% CI: 3.58 to 11.45). Additionally, fear of infection, financial uncertainty, inadequate food supply, absence of physical exercise and limited or no recreational activity had significant association with stress, anxiety, depression and post-traumatic symptoms. Conclusion: This COVID-19 outbreak imposes psychological consequences on people to a great extent which requires attention from the concerned authorities to cope with this situation mentally. The perception about the outbreak can also play a big role in psychological impact.


PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
pp. e0248714
Author(s):  
Eva Pigozzi ◽  
Daniela Tregnago ◽  
Lucia Costa ◽  
Jessica Insolda ◽  
Enrico Turati ◽  
...  

The psychological impact of the Covid 19 pandemic on cancer patients, a population at higher risk of fatal consequences if infected, has been only rarely evaluated. This study was conducted at the Departments of Oncology of four hospitals located in the Verona area in Italy to investigate the psychological consequences of the pandemic on cancer patients under active anticancer treatments. A 13-item ad hoc questionnaire to evaluate the psychological status of patients before and during the pandemic was administered to 474 consecutive subjects in the time frame between April 27th and June 7th 2020. Among the 13 questions, 7 were considered appropriate to elaborate an Emotional Vulnerability Index (EVI) that allows to separate the population in two groups (low versus high emotional vulnerability) according to observed median values. During the emergency period, the feeling of high vulnerability was found in 246 patients (53%) and was significantly associated with the following clinical variables: female gender, being under chemotherapy treatment, age ≤ 65 years. Compared to the pre-pandemic phase, the feeling of vulnerability was increased in 41 patients (9%), remained stably high in 196 (42%) and, surprisingly, was reduced in 10 patients (2%). Overall, in a population characterized by an high level of emotional vulnerability the pandemic had a marginal impact and only a small proportion of patients reported an increase of their emotional vulnerability.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Isabel Padrón ◽  
Isabel Fraga ◽  
Lucía Vieitez ◽  
Carlos Montes ◽  
Estrella Romero

An increasing number of studies have addressed the psychological impact of the COVID-19 crisis in the general population. Nevertheless, far less is known about the impact in specific populations such as university students, whose psychological vulnerability has been shown in previous research. This study sought to examine different indicators of mental health in university students during the Spanish lockdown; we also analyzed the main sources of stress perceived by students in relation to the COVID-19 crisis, and the coping strategies adopted when faced with the situation. Data was collected from 932 students (704 women) through a web-based platform. Measures of anxiety (i.e., GAD-7), depression (PHQ-9), irritability and self-perceived change in mental health were administered, as well as ad hoc measures of stressors and coping strategies. Results indicated that students experienced considerable psychological problems during the confinement, with higher rates of emotional difficulties in women and undergraduate students than in men and postgraduates, respectively. Psychological distress was mainly related to several specific domains of stressors, as perceived by the participants: academic future, task overload, worsening of interpersonal conflicts, and restrictions in pleasant social contact; and far less related to the spread of the disease and its consequences for physical health. As regards coping strategies, both reframing skills and daily routines were shown to be the most effective. A path-analysis model integrating stressors, coping, and mental health revealed that coping strategies partially channeled the effect of stressors on psychological health. In general, results suggest that students’ psychological health was substantially affected by the COVID-19 situation and that the academic and relational changes were the most notable sources of stress. This study reinforces the need to monitor and promote mental health in university students to boost resilience in times of crisis. Our results on effective coping strategies may inform preventive programs aimed at helping students to deal with challenges like the COVID-19 pandemic.


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