People who work in healthcare are tirelessly looking after patients with COVID-19, often in challenging conditions. There is a clear risk of long-term mental health issues, such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
But expert resources are available, and many rely on lessons learned from the experiences of military personnel. Early research from China suggests that significant numbers of healthcare staff are experiencing anxiety, symptoms of depression, and feelings of distress as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Frontline healthcare professionals were particularly likely to report these experiences. A new study from Italy, which has yet to be peer-reviewed, echoes this and shows that among 1,379 survey respondents in the healthcare