CC BY 4.0 · Indian J Med Paediatr Oncol
DOI: 10.1055/s-0043-1764368
Original Article

Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Psychological Well-Being of Health Care Professionals in India

1   Department of Surgical Oncology, Max Institute of Cancer Care, Max Super Speciality Hospital Saket, New Delhi, India
2   Doctoral Scholar, Indian Institute of Technology Hyderabad, India
,
Shubham Garg
3   Department of Surgical Oncology, Max Institute of Cancer Care, Max Super Speciality Hospital Vaishali, India
,
Pramod Kumar Julka
4   Department of Medical Oncology, Max Institute of Cancer Care, Lajpat Nagar, New Delhi, India
,
Aditi Chaturvedi
5   Department of Surgical Oncology, Max Institute of Cancer Care, Max Hospital Gurugram, India
,
Sharan Choudhri
6   Department of Surgical Oncology, Max Institute of Cancer Care, Max Smart Super Speciality Hospital, New Delhi, India
,
Ramandeep Singh Arora
7   Department of Medical Oncology, Max Institute of Cancer Care, Max Super Speciality Hospital Saket, New Delhi, India
› Author Affiliations
Funding None.

Abstract

Introduction and Objective Health care professionals (HPs) have been at the forefront facing the pressures and uncertainties of the COVID-19 pandemic, and thus have a higher psychological vulnerability. The incidence of psychological distress, which can negatively affect an HP's work efficiency and long-term well-being, has not been studied in depth in India.

Materials and Methods A multicentric study was conducted using the digital means of communication across Max Healthcare between June and August 2020. HPs in the department of oncology, including doctors, nurses, and other support staff, were invited to voluntarily participate in the self-administered online survey. A total of 87 HPs in oncology (41 doctors, 28 nurses, and 18 in other fronts) were assessed using the 12-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12). Outcome of interest was psychological distress (defined as a GHQ-12 score >15).

Results The overall incidence of psychological distress among HPs in oncology during the COVID-19 pandemic was 17.20%. Significantly higher levels of psychological distress were observed among HPs with a history of psychiatric illness (p = 0.003), and among HPs with a work experience of less than 10 years (p = 0.017).

Conclusion The COVID-19 pandemic had a significant impact on the psychological well-being of HPs in India. This study implicated the recognition of the psychological well-being of HPs in oncology as an unmet need during the COVID-19 pandemic, further recommending efforts toward increasing accessibility of mental health services for them.

Clinical Trial Registry

CTRI number: CTRI/2020/05/025220 (Registered on May 17, 2020); protocol code for Institutional Ethics Committee: RS/MSSH/DDF/SKT-2/IEC/S-ONCO/20–13; and date of approval: May 7, 2020.




Publication History

Article published online:
17 April 2023

© 2023. The Author(s). This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, permitting unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction so long as the original work is properly cited. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

Thieme Medical and Scientific Publishers Pvt. Ltd.
A-12, 2nd Floor, Sector 2, Noida-201301 UP, India

 
  • References

  • 1 Que J, Shi L, Deng J. et al. Psychological impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on healthcare workers: a cross-sectional study in China. Gen Psychiatr 2020; 33 (03) e100259
  • 2 Pragholapati A. . Mental health in pandemic Covid-19. Available SSRN. 2020;3596311
  • 3 Kumar A, Nayar KR. COVID 19 and its mental health consequences. J Ment Health 2021; 30 (01) 1
  • 4 Vizheh M, Qorbani M, Arzaghi SM, Muhidin S, Javanmard Z, Esmaeili M. The mental health of healthcare workers in the COVID-19 pandemic: a systematic review. J Diabetes Metab Disord 2020; 19 (02) 1967-1978
  • 5 Skoda EM, Teufel M, Stang A. et al. Psychological burden of healthcare professionals in Germany during the acute phase of the COVID-19 pandemic: differences and similarities in the international context. J Public Health (Oxf) 2020; 42 (04) 688-695
  • 6 Thombs BD, Bonardi O, Rice DB. et al. Curating evidence on mental health during COVID-19: a living systematic review. J Psychosom Res 2020; 133: 110113
  • 7 De Kock JH, Latham HA, Leslie SJ. et al. A rapid review of the impact of COVID-19 on the mental health of healthcare workers: implications for supporting psychological well-being. BMC Public Health 2021; 21 (01) 104
  • 8 Maciaszek J, Ciulkowicz M, Misiak B. et al. Mental health of medical and non-medical professionals during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic: a cross-sectional nationwide study. J Clin Med 2020; 9 (08) 2527
  • 9 Murthy RS. National mental health survey of India 2015–2016. Indian J Psychiatry 2017; 59 (01) 21-26
  • 10 Cullen W, Gulati G, Kelly BD. Mental health in the COVID-19 pandemic. QJM 2020; 113 (05) 311-312
  • 11 Roy A, Singh AK, Mishra S, Chinnadurai A, Mitra A, Bakshi O. Mental health implications of COVID-19 pandemic and its response in India. Int J Soc Psychiatry 2021; 67 (05) 587-600
  • 12 Ciammella P, De Bari B, Fiorentino A. et al; AIRO Giovani (Italian Association of Radiation Oncology-Young Members Working Group). The “BUONGIORNO” project: burnout syndrome among young Italian radiation oncologists. Cancer Invest 2013; 31 (08) 522-528
  • 13 Font A, Corti V, Berger R. Burnout in healthcare professionals in oncology. Procedia Econ Finance 2015; 23: 228-232
  • 14 Goldberg P, Williams P. A user's guide to the General Health Questionnaire. NFER-NELSON; 1988
  • 15 Machado T, Sathyanarayanan V, Bhola P, Kamath K. Psychological vulnerability, burnout, and coping among employees of a business process outsourcing organization. Ind Psychiatry J 2013; 22 (01) 26-31
  • 16 David BE, Kumar S. Psychological health problems during the lockdown: a survey of Indian population in COVID-19 pandemic. Data Brief 2020; 33: 106566
  • 17 Kisely S, Warren N, McMahon L, Dalais C, Henry I, Siskind D. Occurrence, prevention, and management of the psychological effects of emerging virus outbreaks on healthcare workers: rapid review and meta-analysis. BMJ 2020; 369: m1642
  • 18 Cénat JM, Blais-Rochette C, Kokou-Kpolou CK. et al. Prevalence of symptoms of depression, anxiety, insomnia, posttraumatic stress disorder, and psychological distress among populations affected by the COVID-19 pandemic: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Psychiatry Res 2021; 295: 113599
  • 19 Luo M, Guo L, Yu M, Jiang W, Wang H. The psychological and mental impact of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) on medical staff and general public: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Psychiatry Res 2020; 291: 113190
  • 20 Salazar de Pablo G, Vaquerizo-Serrano J, Catalan A. et al. Impact of coronavirus syndromes on physical and mental health of health care workers: Systematic review and meta-analysis. J Affect Disord 2020; 275: 48-57
  • 21 Banerjee S, Lim KHJ, Murali K. et al. The impact of COVID-19 on oncology professionals: results of the ESMO Resilience Task Force survey collaboration. ESMO Open 2021; 6 (02) 100058
  • 22 Bagde R, Dandekeri S. Fear, stress and stigma of Covid-19 among Indian dental practitioners. J Evol Med Dent Sci 2021; 10 (31) 2433-2438
  • 23 Ching SM, Ng KY, Lee KW. et al. Psychological distress among healthcare providers during COVID-19 in Asia: systematic review and meta-analysis. PLoS One 2021; 16 (10) e0257983
  • 24 Lim KHJ, Murali K, Kamposioras K. et al. The concerns of oncology professionals during the COVID-19 pandemic: results from the ESMO Resilience Task Force survey II. ESMO Open 2021; 6 (04) 100199
  • 25 Granek L, Nakash O. Oncology healthcare professionals' mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic. Curr Oncol 2022; 29 (06) 4054-4067
  • 26 Hossain MR, Patwary MM, Sultana R, Browning MHEM. Psychological distress among healthcare professionals during the early stages of the COVID-19 outbreak in low resource settings: a cross-sectional study in Bangladesh. Front Public Health 2021; 9: 701920
  • 27 Hajure M, Dibaba B, Shemsu S, Desalegn D, Reshad M, Mohammedhussein M. Psychological distress among health care workers in health facilities of Mettu town during COVID-19 outbreak, South West Ethiopia, 2020. Front Psychiatry 2021; 12: 574671
  • 28 Thomaier L, Teoh D, Jewett P. et al. Emotional health concerns of oncology physicians in the United States: fallout during the COVID-19 pandemic. PLoS One 2020; 15 (11) e0242767
  • 29 Wu P, Fang Y, Guan Z. et al. The psychological impact of the SARS epidemic on hospital employees in China: exposure, risk perception, and altruistic acceptance of risk. Can J Psychiatry 2009; 54 (05) 302-311
  • 30 Aston SJ, Rheault W, Arenson C. et al. Interprofessional education: a review and analysis of programs from three academic health centers. Acad Med 2012; 87 (07) 949-955
  • 31 Pfefferbaum B, North CS. Mental health and the Covid-19 pandemic. N Engl J Med 2020; 383 (06) 510-512
  • 32 Li Y, Wang Y, Jiang J. et al. Psychological distress among health professional students during the COVID-19 outbreak. Psychol Med 2021; 51 (11) 1952-1954
  • 33 Sanchez-Reilly S, Morrison LJ, Carey E. et al. Caring for oneself to care for others: physicians and their self-care. J Support Oncol 2013; 11 (02) 75-81
  • 34 Robins-Browne K, Lewis M, Burchill LJ. et al. Interventions to support the mental health and well-being of front-line healthcare workers in hospitals during pandemics: an evidence review and synthesis. BMJ Open 2022; 12 (11) e061317