STUDENT DETAILS

Student name: Tran Xuan Bach Student ID number: B1112016665

UNIT AND TUTORIAL DETAILS

Unit name: Individual Essay Unit number: AEn-S320WSB-7

Tutorial/Lecture: Academic English Class day and time:
Lecturer or Tutor name: Michael Griffin

ASSIGNMENT DETAILS

Title: Analyse how COVID-19 has affected frontline workers' mental health
Length: 1311 words Due date: 27/12/2020 Date submitted: 27/12/2020

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ASSIGNMENT COVER SHEET

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Academic Writing

Tran Xuan Bach

AEn-S320WSB-7

27/12/2020

Michael Griffin

Since the first reported Coronavirus case in China, there have been more and more people tested

positive for the COVID-19. According to the WHO statistics, the number of cases has hit 80 million

worldwide and currently shows no sign of slowing down as the number of daily cases steadies at more than

600,000, which results in an unprecedented challenge for the global healthcare system, especially the

frontline workers, doctors and nurses who not only are put directly under the risk of exposure to the virus but

a large share of them is also reported to experience mental health problems. The essay will provide insight

into what healthcare workers' psychological difficulties are and how they are coping with them.

According to the WHO, "Mental health is a state of well-being in which an individual realizes his or

her own abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively, and is able to make a

contribution to his or her community." Whereas mental health issues, also known as mental illness, refer to a

wide range of mental health conditions such as depression, anxiety disorders, insomnia, post-traumatic stress

disorder, or schizophrenia, which affect a person's way of thinking, feeling, and behaving (Medline Plus,

2014). These mental conditions are often faced by medical healthcare providers as they have to cope with a

considerable amount of workload, which is consequently made even more decadent by the frequent

occurrence of resource unavailability, moral dilemmas, and patient overload in hospitals and clinical centers,

particularly in times when the pandemic's level of contagion is at peak.

As stated by the WHO, depression is one of the most common mental illnesses and an estimate of 264

million people worldwide are affected, including healthcare providers. The statement was demonstrated on a
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smaller scale by Lai et al. (2020) in their research using Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) on 1257

healthcare workers from 34 hospitals in Wuhan, China; the reported result showed that 50.4% of the

participants experienced symptoms of depression. Likewise, 44 studies were conducted by Sanghera et al.

(2020) on 69,499 nurses and doctors in various nations; they all pointed out that the range of depression was

from 13.5% to 44.7%. Moreover, according to the WHO, females have a higher possibility of experiencing

symptoms of depression than males; which slightly disapproves the study of Lai et al. as 76.6% of the

participants were women, 60.8% of them were nurses (90.8% of whom were female), and only 39.2% of

them were physicians. Given the imbalance gender ratio amongst the study participants, it would be risky for

Lai et al. to conclude that female frontline workers were more prone to depression than males with the same

profession.

Similarly, anxiety has contributed significantly to the deterioration of the frontline workers' mental

health since the beginning of the pandemic. This mental condition appears to have a connection with the

workers' essential duties, such as ensuring the adequacy of treatments for COVID-19 patients, the

application of restrictive measures to minimize the spread of the virus, or the responsibility for the health of

their own and their families' (Shreffler, Petrey & Huecker, 2020). As reported by Lai et al., their study found

the prevalence of anxiety among the medical workers ranging from 44.6% to 62% by applying the

Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 method (GAD-7). In the same way, Korkmaz et al. (2020) implemented

Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) in a study that was conducted on 140 healthcare workers and found that the

number of participants with mild anxiety symptoms was 53, with moderate symptoms was 28 and 18 with

severe symptoms. Besides, several more factors that contribute to the workers' anxiety might include

confusion, the lack of experience, inadequate preparation, the fear of exposure to the virus, or the inability to

determine what to expect during the pandemic.

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Furthermore, frontline workers' sleep quality appears to have been affected since the Coronavirus

outbreak. Having conducted a study on 1306 voluntary frontline workers and non-medical frontliners, Qi et

al. (2020) suggested the high prevalence of sleep disturbance by applying Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index

and Athens Insomnia Scale on both groups; the result showed the range of insomnia was from 33.9% to

44.5%. Likewise, Jarahmi et al. (2020) conducted similar research on 257 Bahraini frontline workers and

non-frontline workers in April 2020 and also found a high prevalence of insomnia. Based on the PSQI

scores, 75% of the frontline workers had poor sleep quality, and the number was 76% for non-medical

frontliners. The possible explanation for low sleep quality is long-hour shifts, minimal time for recess, and

breaks between shifts tend to be reduced as thousands of patients are diagnosed with the COVID-19 every

day, causing sleep disorders among the medical workers. Moreover, insomnia can sometimes be responsible

for cardiovascular disease, daytime fatigue, low concentration, and irritability; it may also associate with

other mental illnesses, such as depression or anxiety (Crosta, 2020), which is likely to prevent medical

workers from providing accurate diagnoses and prescribing appropriate treatments for the patients.

Since frontline workers are now a valuable unit of the workforce that plays a crucial role in helping

many nations halt the Coronavirus spread and take care of the infected patients, hospital authorities and

officials should apply drastic and effective measures to protect their staff's psychological well-being. Sahoo

& Gupta (2020) indicated in their study that incentive mental aid from colleagues is valuable and necessary

in coping with mental health problems as confusion and uncertainties might occur to their peers. For

instance, Senior colleagues can help reduce healthcare workers' anxiety and stress by instructing them on

choosing the right kinds of personal protective equipment (PPE) and offering open conversations on

problems that they face. In addition, group leaders or authorities are advised to help alleviate their staff's

sense of uncertainty and fear by interacting, sharing authentic information, and giving them an honest

assessment of what they will face during the pandemic. Besides, including mental health professionals in
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hospitals and clinical centers may positively impact healthcare providers because it would be easier for them

to consult the experts for advice and ask for regular mental health screening. Also, group meetings, training

sessions, and webinars should be available and accessible for medical workers whenever they need

assistance or instructions to consolidate their confidence and readiness.

Additionally, ensuring that healthcare providers are informed with authentic information from reliable

sources is also essential in protecting their mental health. As worldwide lockdown and social distancing are

now put into effect globally, the internet becomes the primary tool with which people can access various

sources of information, such as online newspapers, blogs, social media, academic articles, or podcasts.

However, it is suggested that the authorities and the frontliners are cautious of unverified news or

untrustworthy sources to reduce the psychological impacts of misinformation and to work without any

concerns. Some of the trusted sources for information about Coronavirus include the WHO, the UK's NHS,

the BBC Coronavirus Podcast, or John Hopkins University's COVID-19 Dashboard. Lastly, financial

support, encouragement, and trust from the patients and the residents appear to serve as a tremendous aid;

therefore, the citizens' involvement in supporting the frontline workers will boost their confidence and

motivate them to carry on their work.

In conclusion, the WHO declared the COVID-19 a public health emergency of international concern in

January 2020 and a pandemic in March 2020. Since then, the virus and its disease have been an ongoing

global issue that halted the world's economic growth and had significantly negative impacts on the

worldwide healthcare system. Apart from physical impairment due to exposure, COVID-19 also caused

severe mental health problems, particularly among frontline workers. Therefore, measures are needed to be

applied to protect their physical and psychological well-being as they are now one of the essential

workforces who are attempting to halt the spread of the pandemic and reduce the negative impacts on the

world's healthcare system.

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References

Crosta, P. (2020, July 28). What is insomnia? Everything you need to know. Medical News Today.

Retrieved from https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/9155

Jahrami, H. (Corresponding Author), BaHammam, A. S., AlGahtani, H., Ebrahim, A., Faris, M.,

AlEid, K., …Hasan, Z. (2020, June 26). The examination of sleep quality for frontline

healthcare worker during the outbreak of COVID-19. Sleep Breath (2020).

doi:10.1007/s11325-020-02135-9

Korkmaz, S. (Corresponding Author), Kazgan, A., Çekiç, S., Tartar, A. S., Balci, H. N., Atmaca, M.

(2020, August 13). The anxiety levels, quality of sleep and life and problem-solving skills in

healthcare workers employed in COVID-19 services. Journal of clinical neuroscience.

doi:10.1016/j.jocn.2020.07.073

Lai, J., Ma, S., Wang, Y., Cai, Z., Hu, J., Wei, N., …Hu, S. (2020, March 23). Factors Associated

With Mental Health Outcomes Among Health Care Workers Exposed to Coronavirus Disease

2019. Global Health | JAMA Network Open. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2020.3976

Medline Plus. (2014). Mental Disorders. Retrieved from https://medlineplus.gov/mentaldisorders.html

Qi, J., Xu, J., Li, B., Huang, J., Yang, Y., Zhang, Z., …Zhang, X. (2020, May 23). The evaluation of

sleep disturbances for Chinese frontline medical workers under the outbreak of COVID-19.

PubMed. doi:10.1016/j.sleep.2020.05.023
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Sahoo, S., & Gupta, S. (Corresponding Author). (2020, August 7). Pandemic and mental health of the

front-line healthcare workers: a review and implications in the Indian context amidst COVID-

19. BMJ Journals. doi:10.1136/gpsych-2020-100284

Sanghera, J., Pattani, N., Hashmi, Y., Varley, K. F., Cheruvu, M. S., Bradley, A., Burke, J. R.

(Corresponding Author). (2020, October 6). The Impact of SARS-CoV-2 on the mental health

of healthcare workers in a hospital setting – A Systematic Review. Journal of Occupational

Health. doi:10.1002/1348-9585.12175

Shreffler, J., Petrey, J., & Huecker, M. (2020, August 17). The Impact of COVID-19 on Healthcare

Worker Wellness: A Scoping Review. eScholarship. doi:10.5811/westjem.2020.7.48684

World Health Organization. (2020, January 30). Depression. Retrieved from

https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/depression

World Health Organization. (2018, March 30). Mental health: strengthening our response. Retrieved

from https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/mental-health-strengthening-our-

response

World Health Organization. (2020). WHO Coronavirus Disease. (COVID-19) Dashboard. Retrieved

from https://covid19.who.int/