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How resilient is your team? Exploring healthcare providers' wellbeing during the COVID-19 pandemic
Journal article   Peer reviewed

How resilient is your team? Exploring healthcare providers' wellbeing during the COVID-19 pandemic

Elizabeth M. Huffman, Dimitrios Athanasiadis, Nicholas E. Anton, Lindsay A. Haskett, Dominique L. Doster, Dimitrios Stefanidis and Nicole K. Lee
The American journal of surgery, Vol.221(2), pp.277-284
02/01/2021
DOI: 10.1016/j.amjsurg.2020.09.005
PMID: 32994041
url
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amjsurg.2020.09.005View
Published (Version of record) Open Access

Abstract

Background: The global COVID-19 pandemic has placed tremendous physical and mental strain on the US healthcare system. Studies examining the effects of outbreaks have demonstrated both an increased prevalence and long-term development of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) symptoms in healthcare providers. We sought to assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the psychological wellbeing of medical providers, medical trainees, and administrators at a large academic center to identify stressors and moderators to guide future mental health and hospital-system interventions. Methods: A 42-item survey examining specific stressors, grit, and resilience was widely distributed to physicians, residents, fellows, and administrators a large academic institution for departmental distribution. Survey results were analyzed using descriptive statistics, ANOVA, and multivariate linear regressions. A p-value <0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: A total of 785 participants completed the survey. The majority of respondents rated their stress to be significantly increased during the pandemic. Respondents' fear of transmitting the virus to their family members was a significant stressor. Higher resilience was associated with lower stress, anxiety, fatigue, and sleep disturbances. Overall, respondents felt supported by their departments and institution and felt contingency plans and personal protective equipment were adequate. Conclusions: Healthcare workers have increased resilience in the face of heightened stress during a pandemic. Higher resilience and grit were protective factors in managing personal and system-level stressors at the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic in our institution. Implementing an intervention designed to enhance healthcare workers' resilience in response to the COVID-19 pandemic is warranted. (C) 2020 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
 Life Sciences & Biomedicine Science & Technology Surgery

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