Naslov
Subjective assessment of the impact of COVID-19 on life aspects of healthcare workers in the emergency internal medicine clinic – case study

Autori
Kranjčević-Ščurić, Mihaela ; Ščurić, Ivica ; Filej, Bojana

Kolaboracija
University of Novo mesto, Faculty of Health Sciences Novo mesto, Slovenia

Izvornik
Pielęgniarstwo XXI wieku (1730-1912) 20 (2021) (2021); 210-215

Vrsta, podvrsta i kategorija rada
Radovi u časopisima, članak, znanstveni

Ključne riječi
pandemics ; life ; fear ; workplace ; emergency medicine

Sažetak
The pandemic caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus in 2019/20, briefly stopped the world and made a series of changes in the lives of people around the world. Symptoms and clinical pictures of COVID-19 range from asymptomatic to severe pneumonia (can lead to death). Mild symptoms are dry cough, sore throat, myalgia, fever and diarrhoea ; they most often pass without complications. Some groups of patients may develop complications, including organ failure, sepsis and septic shock, acute renal damage, pulmonary oedema, severe pneumonia, and acute respiratory distress syndrome, which can be fatal [1]. Severe complications are more common in elderly patients, patients with high comorbidity, immunocompromised, haematological, oncological, endocrinological patients, and patients in intensive care units [2]. The estimated mortality from COVID-19 according to some studies is approximately 3.4% compared with 9.6% for SARS [3] and 34.4% for Middle Eastern Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) [4]. The WHO and the CDC (Centres for Disease Control) have issued guidelines on key clinical and epidemiological findings indicating COVID-19 infection [5]. The pandemic is a threat, but also a challenge for the whole world [6], that has globally affected the current way of life, movement, travel, and economy. It affected all people and all aspects of life, but still the most vulnerable group were those suffering from COVID- 19, those suffering from other diseases that required health care, and healthcare workers who cared for all groups of patients. In Croatia, the first case of COVID-19 disease was registered on February 25, 2020. in Zagreb. Prevention and fight against the pandemic was immediately raised to the national level (National Crisis Headquarter and Crisis Staff of the Ministry of Health) and with clear recommendations, procedures and daily public information, the spread was soon brought under control [7]. During the pandemic, healthcare workers were more exposed than usual to stress, physical, mental, and emotional effort [8] in an effort to prevent the spread of infection to themselves and others and to provide the best possible care for patients. In their struggle and care for others, some health workers fell ill, and a large number unfortunately died as a result of COVID-19 [9]. Experiences with SARS have shown a large impact of work on the mental health of healthcare workers in the form of fear, anxiety, depression, psychophysical symptoms, and stress [10]. Working in high-risk wards, in isolation, and with infected people are common causes of trauma [11]. Work-related stress is a potential cause for concern for healthcare workers and is therefore an important indicator of mental exhaustion. Healthcare workers involved in the diagnosis, treatment, and care of patients with COVID-19 develop predispositions to pain, psychological suffering, and other mental health symptoms [12] that can significantly affect all aspects of their lives. The aim of this research was to: (i) investigate the subjective experiences of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the work of healthcare workers ; (ii) describe the impact of the pandemic on their private lives ; (iii) identify their biggest fears related to the term COVID-19.

Izvorni jezik
Engleski

Znanstvena područja
Kliničke medicinske znanosti

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