The global mental health burden of COVID-19 on critical care staff.

Ezzat, Ahmed; Li, Yufei; Holt, Josephine; Komorowski, Matthieu

BACKGROUND Although the mental health burden in healthcare workers caused by COVID-19 has gained increasing attention both within the profession and through public opinion, there has been a lack of data describing their experience; specifically, the mental wellbeing of healthcare workers in the intensive care unit (ICU), including those redeployed. AIMS The authors aimed to compare the mental health status of ICU healthcare workers (physicians, nurses and allied health professionals) affected by various factors during the COVID-19 pandemic; and highlight to policymakers areas of staff vulnerabilities in order to improve wellbeing strategies within healthcare systems. METHODS An online survey using three validated scales was conducted in France, the UK, Italy, Mainland China, Taiwan, Egypt and Belgium. FINDINGS The proportion of respondents who screened positive on the three scales across the countries was 16-49% for depression, 60-86% for insomnia and 17-35% for post-traumatic stress disorder. The authors also identified an increase in the scores with longer time spent in personal protective equipment, female gender, advancing age and redeployed status. CONCLUSION The high prevalence of mental disorders among ICU staff during the COVID-19 crisis should inform local and national wellbeing policies.