Facing the Unknown: Healthcare Workers’ Concerns, Experiences, and Burnout during the COVID-19 Pandemic—A Mixed-Methods Study in an Israeli Hospital

Keren Dopelt, Osnat Bashkin, Nadav Davidovitch and Noam Asna
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Keren Dopelt: Department of Public Health, Ashkelon Academic College, Ben Tzvi St. 12, Ashkelon 78211, Israel
Osnat Bashkin: Department of Public Health, Ashkelon Academic College, Ben Tzvi St. 12, Ashkelon 78211, Israel
Nadav Davidovitch: Department of Health Policy and Management, School of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, P.O. Box 653, Beer-Sheva 84105, Israel
Noam Asna: Oncology Department, Ziv University Medical Center, Ranbam St. 1, Safed 13100, Israel

Sustainability, 2021, vol. 13, issue 16, 1-13

Abstract: The aim of this study was to describe the experiences of healthcare workers during the first wave of the coronavirus crisis. In a mixed-methods study, data were collected through an online survey completed by 263 hospital staff members, as well as 10 semi-structured, in-depth interviews with physicians, nurses, and medical technologists working on coronavirus wards. Respondents expressed extremely high levels of concern for family members, but they were less apprehensive about their own health and safety. Nurses displayed more apprehension and burnout compared to healthcare workers in other professional roles. The in-depth interviews reinforced and supplemented the survey findings and deepened our understanding of the experience of healthcare workers directly involved in the first wave of coronavirus patient care. The findings of this study illuminate the main concerns of hospital staff during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic and deepen our understanding of issues that require systemic attention in order to strengthen mental resilience among hospital staff. The steps required to continue fighting the virus include the development of a mental and emotional support network for healthcare workers to safeguard them and their health, as they care for patients, and to provide ongoing psychosocial support. As later waves of COVID-19 continued, these recommendations are even more pertinent.

Keywords: coronavirus wards; healthcare systems; social alienation; concerns; burnout; healthcare workers (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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