Summary
Background: The current SARS-CoV2 pandemic poses a challenge for global health systems and the medical staff.
Objective: We wanted to find out if there are specific psychological symptoms that can be related to the current pandemic by conducting a systematic analysis of current literature.
Methods: In accordance with the PRIMSA guidelines, the PubMed database was systematically searched for clinical cross-sectional and prospective longitudinal studies that examined the psychosocial stressors of medical staff employed in the current pandemic. 29 of the screened 414 studies were included in our analysis after removing duplicates and studies without original data.
Results: Across all included studies, the medical staff showed psychological symptoms e.g. anxiety and depressive disorders, insomnia and stress or stress-reactive disorders with gender and profession related differences in prevalence.
Conclusion: A COVID-specific psychosocial burden on the medical staff is to be assumed, which is greater, especially when the regional pandemic situation is less uncontrollable.
Date: 09/03/2020
Source: Wehrmedizinische Monatsschrift 09/2020
