LONDON (Reuters) – Nearly half of staff working in intensive care units (ICUs) in England are infected with COVID-19 pandemic with severe anxiety, depression or post-traumatic stress disorder , with some reporting they would be better off dead, according to a study published Wednesday.
Many ICU nurses and doctors meet the clinical threshold for PTSD, anxiety, or drinking trouble, and the symptoms are so severe that some have reported considering suicide or suicide.
Such poor mental health among ICU staff caring for critically ill and dying COVID-19 patients is likely to impair their ability to function properly. effective and detrimental to their quality of life, said the researchers who led the study.
More than 81,000 people have died from COVID-19 in Britain, the fifth highest official death toll in the world in a global pandemic.
More than 3 million people in Britain have tested positive for COVID-19 infection and the government says hospitals and intensive care wards are on the verge of overcrowding.
The pressure is on ICU staff – who work with long-term ill patients in areas where the risk of COVID-19 exposure is high and where shortages of staff and equipment are causing problems. every day – has been particularly high.
“The high mortality rate among COVID-19 patients admitted to ICU, coupled with communication difficulty and providing appropriate end-of-life support to patients … are very likely to have been stressful very challenging for all staff working at ICUn, ”said Neil Greenberg, a professor at the Institute of Psychology, Psychology & Non-Psychology at King’s College London, who co-directed the research.
The study, published in the journal Occupational Health, was conducted in June and July – before Britain began to experience the latest rise in diseases.
It found that, among more than 700 healthcare workers in nine ICUs across England, 45% met the threshold for clinical significance for at least one of four real mental health problems: depression (6% ), PTSD (40%), extreme anxiety (11%) or trouble drinking (7%).
Of greatest concern, the researchers said, was that more than one in eight of those in the study reported frequent thoughts of self-harm or suicide – such as thinking about being better off dead, or injured – in the previous two weeks.
The findings “highlight the potential profound impact of COVID-19 on the mental health of UK frontline workers,” said Greenberg, and show the urgent need for health services. mental health is quickly accessible to all health care workers.
Reporting by Kate Kelland, edited by Timothy Heritage