Physicians’ Distress Related to Moral Issues and Mental Health In-Between Two Late Waves of COVID-19 Contagions

Davis Cooper-Bribiesca, Dulce María Rascón-Martínez, José Adan Miguel-Puga, María Karen Juárez-Carreón, Luis Alejandro Sánchez-Hurtado, Tania Colin-Martinez, Juan Carlos Anda-Garay, Eliseo Espinosa-Poblano and Kathrine Jáuregui-Renaud ()
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Davis Cooper-Bribiesca: Unidad de Investigación Médica en Otoneurología, Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social, Ciudad de México 06720, Mexico
Dulce María Rascón-Martínez: Departamento de Anestesiología, Hospital de Especialidades del Centro Médico Nacional Siglo XXI del Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social, Ciudad de México 06720, Mexico
José Adan Miguel-Puga: Unidad de Investigación Médica en Otoneurología, Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social, Ciudad de México 06720, Mexico
María Karen Juárez-Carreón: Departamento de Psiquiatría, Hospital de Especialidades del Centro Médico Nacional Siglo XXI del Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social, Ciudad de México 06720, Mexico
Luis Alejandro Sánchez-Hurtado: Departamento de Terapia Intensiva, Hospital de Especialidades del Centro Médico Nacional Siglo XXI del Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social, Ciudad de México 06720, Mexico
Tania Colin-Martinez: Departamento de Admisión Continua, Hospital de Especialidades del Centro Médico Nacional Siglo XXI del Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social, Ciudad de México 06720, Mexico
Juan Carlos Anda-Garay: Departamento de Medicina Interna, Hospital de Especialidades del Centro Médico Nacional Siglo XXI del Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social, Ciudad de México 06720, Mexico
Eliseo Espinosa-Poblano: Departamento de Inhaloterapia y Neumología, Hospital de Especialidades del Centro Médico Nacional Siglo XXI del Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social, Ciudad de México 06720, Mexico
Kathrine Jáuregui-Renaud: Unidad de Investigación Médica en Otoneurología, Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social, Ciudad de México 06720, Mexico

IJERPH, 2023, vol. 20, issue 5, 1-19

Abstract: In addition to the sanitary constrains implemented due to the pandemic, frontline physicians have faced increased workloads with insufficient resources, and the responsibility to make extraordinary clinical decisions. In 108 physicians who were at the forefront of care of patients with COVID-19 during the first two years of the pandemic, mental health, moral distress, and moral injury were assessed twice, in between two late waves of COVID-19 contagions, according to their adverse psychological reactions, in-hospital experience, sick leave due to COVID-19, quality of sleep, moral sensitivity, clinical empathy, resilience, and sense of coherence. Three months after the wave of contagions, the adverse emotional reactions and moral distress decreased, while moral injury persisted. Moral distress was related to clinical empathy, with influence from burnout and sick leave due to COVID-19, and moral injury was related to the sense of coherence, while recovery from moral distress was related to resilience. The results suggest that measures to prevent physician infection, as well as strengthening resilience and a sense of coherence, may be helpful to prevent persistent mental damage after exposure to a sanitary crisis.

Keywords: mental health; physicians; moral distress; moral injury; sense of coherence; clinical empathy; resilience; sanitary crisis; COVID-19 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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