Psychological impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak on healthcare workers in China

Dai, Yuhong; Hu, Guangyuan; Xiong, Huihua; Qiu, Hong; Yuan, Xianglin

IntroductionSince the outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), more than 3000 (including clinical diagnosis) healthcare workers (HCWs) have been infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in China. This study is aimed to investigate the risk perception and immediate psychological state of HCWs in the early stage of the COVID-19 epidemic. MethodsThis study utilized a cross-sectional survey designed on a convenient sample of 4357 HCWs in China. Its data were collected using anonymous structured questionnaires distributed through social software. 6 questions were set to evaluate the participants risk perception of COVID-19, and a General Health Questionnaire was used to identify the participants immediate psychological status. Descriptive statistics were used for data analysis. Risk perception and psychological status were compared by demographic characteristics and COVID-19 exposure experiences. ResultA total of 4,600 questionnaires were distributed, and 4,357 qualified ones (94.7%) were collected. The main concerns of HCWs are: infection of colleagues (72.5%), infection of family members (63.9%), protective measures (52.3%) and medical violence (48.5%). And 39.1% of the HCWs had psychological distress, especially working in Wuhan, participating in frontline treatments, having been isolated and having family members or colleagues infected. ConclusionsThe finding indicating that, faced with the COVID-19 epidemic, HCWs, especially in Wuhan, were worried about the risks of infection and protective measures, resulting in psychological distress, so further actions should be taken.