Maternity healthcare providers' self-perceptions of well-being during COVID-19: A survey in Tshwane Health District, South Africa
Afr. j. prim. health care fam. med. (Online)
; 14(1): 1-10, 2022.
Article
in En
| AIM
| ID: biblio-1353232
Responsible library:
CG1.1
ABSTRACT
Background:
Mental health manifestations such as depression and anxiety disorders became more marked during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic as frontline healthcare workers struggled to maintain high-quality intrapartum care and essential health services.Aim:
This study aimed to identify maternity healthcare providers' self-perceptions of changes in their feelings of mental well-being.Setting:
Ten midwife obstetric units and the labour wards of four district hospitals in Tshwane Health District, South Africa.Methods:
We conducted an anonymous, cross-sectional survey amongst a convenience sample of 114 maternity healthcare workers to gauge the changes in healthcare workers' experience and perceptions of well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic. Four items measured the perceived changes on a scale of 010 for the periods before and during COVID-19, respectively, namely feelings of fear or anxiety, stress, depression and anger.Results:
The majority of participants were professional nurses (37%) and advanced midwives (47%). They reported a significant change in well-being from before the pandemic to during the pandemic with regard to all four items (p < 0.0001). The biggest 'before-during' difference was in perceptions of fear or anxiety and the smallest difference was in perceptions of anger. A framework was constructed from the open-ended responses to explain healthcare workers' understanding and perceptions of increased negative feelings regarding their mental well-being.Conclusion:
The observed trends in the changes in healthcare workers' self-perceptions of their mental well-being highlight the need for further planning to build resilient frontline healthcare workers and provide them with ongoing mental health support and improved communication pathways.Key words
Full text:
1
Index:
AIM
Main subject:
Prenatal Care
/
Mental Health
/
Health Personnel
/
COVID-19
Type of study:
Observational_studies
Limits:
Female
/
Humans
/
Pregnancy
Language:
En
Journal:
Afr. j. prim. health care fam. med. (Online)
Year:
2022
Type:
Article