Psychological Impact and Coping Strategies of Frontline Medical Staff in Hunan Between January and March 2020 During the Outbreak of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID­19) in Hubei, China.

BACKGROUND Throughout China, during the recent epidemic in Hubei province, frontline medical staff have been responsible for tracing contacts of patients infected with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID­19). This study aimed to investigate the psychological impact and coping strategies of frontline medical staff in Hunan province, adjacent to Hubei province, during the COVID­19 outbreak between January and March 2020. MATERIAL AND METHODS A cross-sectional observational study included doctors, nurses, and other hospital staff throughout Hunan province between January and March 2020. The study questionnaire included five sections and 67 questions (scores, 0-3). The chi-squared χ² test was used to compare the responses between professional groups, age-groups, and gender. RESULTS Study questionnaires were completed by 534 frontline medical staff. The responses showed that they believed they had a social and professional obligation to continue working long hours. Medical staff were anxious regarding their safety and the safety of their families and reported psychological effects from reports of mortality from COVID­19 infection. The availability of strict infection control guidelines, specialized equipment, recognition of their efforts by hospital management and the government, and reduction in reported cases of COVID­19 provided psychological benefit. CONCLUSIONS The COVID­19 outbreak in Hubei resulted in increased stress for medical staff in adjacent Hunan province. Continued acknowledgment of the medical staff by hospital management and the government, provision of infection control guidelines, specialized equipment and facilities for the management of COVID­19 infection should be recognized as factors that may encourage medical staff to work during future epidemics.

Knowledge mapping of job burnout and satisfaction of medical staff and a cross-sectional investigation of county-level hospitals in Southern China.

Background: Job burnout is a worldwide public health problem that has rarely been addressed among rural medical staff, particularly in county-level hospitals. Hence, we conducted a bibliometric study to gain global insights and research trends and a cross-sectional study to assess the current situation among medical staff of county-level hospitals in Southern China. By conducting these studies, we aim to identify factors associated with burnout among medical staff of county-level hospitals in China and provide recommendations for improvement. Methods: Relevant literature on job burnout among medical personnel was searched using the Web of Science Core Collection (WoSCC). CiteSpace was employed for an in-depth cluster analysis to determine research trends and identify the study population. Subsequently, a cross-sectional survey was randomly conducted in three county-level hospitals in Hunan Province of Southern China. Job burnout and satisfaction were assessed using the Maslach Burnout Inventory MBI-Human Services Survey (MBI-HSS) and Job Satisfaction Questionnaire in a total of 362 valid questionnaires collected. The influence factors of the prevalence of job burnout were investigated using logistic regression. Results: In this bibliometric study, 1626 articles were retrieved from 1999 to 2022. China lags behind the United States (US) in both the number and quality of publications in the field of medical staff burnout compared with the US. However, there is a lack of comparative research on job burnout across different job types. County-level medical staff articles are more in line with research hotspots in the field. In total, 362 valid questionnaires were obtained. The total incidence of job burnout among rural medical staff was 27.3 %. Nurses (p < 0.01, OR = 5.95), doctors (p < 0.01, OR = 6.43), and those with administrative jobs (p < 0.01, OR = 7.79) were more likely to experience burnout than those with technical jobs. Medical staff aged 40-49 years (p < 0.01, OR = 0.22) and 50-59 years (p < 0.05, OR = 0.14) were less likely to experience burnout than those aged 20-29 years. Job rewards satisfaction showed a positive correlation with job burnout (p < 0.01, OR = 1.32), but negative correlations with personal development satisfaction (p < 0.05, OR = 0.81) and work internal environment satisfaction (p < 0.05, OR = 0.81). Conclusion: Better working environments, more accessible resources, and higher job rewards contribute to job satisfaction and reduce job burnout among the medical staff of county-level hospitals in China.

Late-onset PTSD and coping strategies for frontline nurses during the COVID-19 epidemic in China.

AIM: To evaluate the late-onset post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) situation, coping strategies and social supports for frontline clinical nurses 6 months after involvement in fighting against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak in China. DESIGN: A cross-sectional design. METHODS: We recently randomly distributed a questionnaire online to Chinese nurses who had taken care of COVID-19 patients since the end of January 2020. The questionnaire was made up of three professional scales, the impact of event scale-revised, simplified coping style questionnaire and social support rating scale included. RESULTS: The general prevalence of late-onset PTSD among frontline nurses was 88.19%. Nurses who worked in Hubei Province (the kindle place of the COVID-19 outbreak) showed lower risk of late-onset PTSD symptoms than those who did not. We also found that positive coping strategies were correlated with less late-onset PTSD symptoms. Meanwhile, getting more social supports could help these nurses to obtain positive coping strategies.