Medical residents’ attitudes and emotions related to Middle East respiratory syndrome in Saudi Arabia: A cross-sectional study

Aldrees, Turki; Al Ghobain, Mohammed; Alenezi, Abdullah; Alqaryan, Saleh; Aldabeeb, Dana; Alotaibi, Najed; Alzahrani, Kamal; Alharethy, Sami

H ealthcare workers and residents in hospitals are at high risk of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) due to their close contact with MERS patients. In addition to the high physical strain of caring for patients potentially infected with MERS, healthcare workers face a tremendous mental burden in doing so, particularly given that the mortality rate of MERS is high, at 36% (namely, one out of 3 patients die). 1 The World Health Organization (WHO) claims that MERS, which is caused by a strain of corona virus (called MERS-CoV), is "a threat to the entire world". 2 The MERS is highly contagious through direct contact with infected patients. Globally, the WHO has reported 1,621 laboratory-confirmed cases of infection with MERS-CoV, and there have been nearly 584 deaths related to MERS-CoV since September 2012. 3 The first case was reported in 2012 in Jeddah, the Kingdom of KSA, wherein the MERS-CoV was detected in the sputum of a patient with acute pneumonia and renal failure. 4 Apart from KSA, nearly 22 countries, including the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Qatar, Indonesia, the United Kingdom, and the United States, have confirmed MERS cases. 3 The clinical presentation of MERS ranges from mild flu-like symptoms to severe acute respiratory illness and death; mortality is especially common among patients with comorbidities. Recent epidemiological research has highlighted a number of psychiatric morbidities associated with exposure to devastating epidemics of novel and highly lethal viruses. 5, 6 For medical professionals, the psychological effects of such exposure can jeopardize the medical care they provide. This highlights the need to review the Saudi health care system and policies related to infection control. In the present study, we describe medical residents' emotions, attitude, and perceptions related to an MERS outbreak. Several past studies have examined this for similar, equally threatening, outbreaks such as severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) 5,6 and influenza, 7 but never for an MERS outbreak. Understanding the fears, anxieties, and reactions of medical residents in close contact with MERS patients may help in devising better personal and family support for hospital employees, which will ultimately aid residents in facing the MERS crisis.