Hospital-Based Health Care Worker Perceptions of Personal Risk Related to COVID-19.

Area of Science:

• Healthcare worker well-being
• Occupational stress
• Infectious disease epidemiology

Background:

• Healthcare workers faced unprecedented stressors during the Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.
• These included caring for critically ill patients, demanding physical care with personal protective equipment, and personal risk of infection.
• The differential impact on nurses and medical providers was investigated.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the stress impact of COVID-19 exposure on healthcare workers.
• To compare the experiences of nurses and medical providers regarding COVID-19 related stressors.

Main Methods:

• An electronic, self-administered questionnaire surveyed hospital staff over six weeks.
• Data collected included COVID-19 patient exposure and self-reported stress levels.
• Responses were analyzed to identify stress contributors and compare nurses with medical providers.

Main Results:

• Stressors like disease contraction risk, fear of transmission, and social stigma were high among medical staff.
• Nurses had nearly four times the odds of considering job resignation compared to medical providers.
• A majority of healthcare workers (77.4% of medical providers, 52.9% of nurses) expressed strong altruism towards treating COVID-19 patients.

Conclusions:

• The substantial stress burden on nurses may contribute to increased thoughts of job resignation.
• Despite personal risks, healthcare providers demonstrated significant altruism when caring for COVID-19 patients during the crisis.