The pandemic has affected us in the worst ways possible and there are certain categories of people who have been hit the hardest. Yes, I am talking about the frontline and medical healthcare workers who put their lives on the line to save the lives of the common people. They have been through this rough phase all by themselves. There was always a risk of getting infected and also infecting the near and dear ones. The effect of the pandemic adds to the trauma of the healthcare workers, and this can lead to several other problems and severe health conditions.
The Trauma Is Real And Showing
A survey was conducted, which confirmed that more than half of the total health care workers in the United States of America reported about mental trauma and stress that they experienced in the workplace. Most of the cases belonged to the times of the pandemic. The mental trauma is very obvious with the things gradually unfolding in the country. The number of new Covid-19 cases bombarded the United States of America last year. There were not enough hospital beds to accommodate the patients. The hospitals and medical healthcare facilities were overwhelmed, and the doctors had to make the tough choice on who should be saved. This would have been definitely the hardest decision of them all. How were doctors made responsible for who lives and who dies?
A study and survey conducted among 26,000 healthcare workers around the country brought forward the fact that more than 53% of them had been subjected to mental health conditions. The mental health conditions included depression, anxiety and Post-traumatic stress disorder. More than 32% of the cases were related to depression and next in line for anxiety. All this stress and mental trauma could leave long-lasting effects. This kind of trauma also leads to suicidal ideation in almost 8.4%of the medical and frontline workers. We could only imagine the stress and trauma that they might have undergone to take steps to such an extent. This was an online survey that was conducted during the months of March and April. The people who were most affected by such mental stress basically belonged to the age of 29 years or younger. The survey also included people from different sexual orientations. The main reasons behind the survey was to find the different repercussions of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Most of the participants of the survey said that they worked directly to the Covid-19 response and attended to the patients hit by the pandemic. Most of them had a 41 hour work week which continued unless the pandemic was under a little control. Not just the patients but the frontline healthcare workers have also been through a lot. Many of them also lost their battles to the virus when they were infected in due course of their discharge of duty.
The study said that, “ The pressure increased the symptoms and severity of the mental conditions such as PTSD and depression. Doctors were working more than 41 hours a week which adds to the pressure.” Those who lodged long hours of work, treating patients infected with the virus and those of them who were unable to take time off were more likely to report any kind of mental trauma and stress. The survey was actually very restricted and the experiences of only the prior two weeks was asked from the participating health care doctors.
With this, it is very clear that there is not only one but several repercussions that are showing because of the coronavirus pandemic. It will take time for all of us to overcome this trauma.
With over 15 years as a practicing journalist, Nikki Attkisson found herself at Powdersville Post now after working at several other publications. She is an award-winning journalist with an entrepreneurial spirit and worked as a journalist covering technology, innovation, environmental issues, politics, health etc. Nikki Attkisson has also worked on product development, content strategy, and editorial management for numerous media companies. She began her career at local news stations and worked as a reporter in national newspapers.