The COVID-19 Clinician Cohort (CoCCo) Study: Empirically Grounded Recommendations for Forward-Facing Psychological Care of Frontline Doctors

Jo Daniels, Jenny Ingram, Anna Pease, Elaine Wainwright, Kate Beckett, Lalitha Iyadurai, Sophie Harris, Olivia Donnelly, Tom Roberts and Edward Carlton
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Jo Daniels: Department of Psychology, University of Bath, Bath BA2 7AY, UK
Jenny Ingram: Centre for Academic Child Health, University of Bristol Medical School, Bristol BS8 1QU, UK
Anna Pease: Centre for Academic Child Health, University of Bristol Medical School, Bristol BS8 1QU, UK
Elaine Wainwright: School of Science, Bath Spa University, Bath BA2 9BN, UK
Kate Beckett: HAS-Nursing and Midwifery, University of West England Bristol, Bristol BS16 1QY, UK
Lalitha Iyadurai: Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 2JD, UK
Sophie Harris: Department of Psychology, University of Bath, Bath BA2 7AY, UK
Olivia Donnelly: North Bristol NHS Trust, Bristol BS10 5NB, UK
Tom Roberts: North Bristol NHS Trust, Bristol BS10 5NB, UK
Edward Carlton: North Bristol NHS Trust, Bristol BS10 5NB, UK

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 18, 1-18

Abstract: This study aimed to develop empirically grounded recommendations and a coherent model of psychological care derived from the experiences and psychological care needs of COVID-19 frontline doctors, using semi-structured interviews and thematic analysis. Participants were UK frontline doctors specialising in Emergency Medicine, Anaesthetics, or Intensive Care ( n = 31) purposively sampled for maximum variation on gender, specialty, ethnicity, and trauma-related distress; most worked in ICU during the pandemic (71%). Four themes were derived: (1) ‘coping strategies’, participants used many, including exercise, mindfulness, and “wait until it gets really bad”; (2) ‘sources of support’, participants valued embedded psychological support, digital services, and informal conversations with colleagues or family, though there was little opportunity; (3) ‘organisational influences on wellbeing’, participants reported a love–hate relationship for concepts like ‘wellbeing’, seen as important but insulting when basic workplace needs were unmet; (4) ‘improving engagement with support’, analysis suggests we must reduce physical and psychological barriers to access and encourage leaders to model psychologically supportive behaviours. Doctors’ frontline COVID-19 working experiences shine a ‘spotlight’ on pre-existing problems such as lack of physical resources and access to psychological care. Empirically grounded recommendations and a model of incremental psychological care are presented for use in clinical services.

Keywords: COVID-19; frontline workers; healthcare workers; qualitative research; trauma; psychological support; occupational health; guidelines (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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