TY - JOUR
T1 - “It’s Been Ugly”
T2 - A Large-Scale Qualitative Study into the Difficulties Frontline Doctors Faced across Two Waves of the COVID-19 Pandemic
AU - Harris, Sophie
AU - Jenkinson, Elizabeth
AU - Carlton, Edward
AU - Roberts, Tom
AU - Daniels, Jo
N1 - Funding Information:
CERA was sponsored by North Bristol NHS trust and received ethical approval from the University of Bath (reference: 4421) and the Ethics Committee at Children’s Health Ireland at Crumlin and received regulatory approval from the Health Regulation Authority and Health and Care Research Wales (IRAS: 281944). The present study was granted ethical approval by the University of Bath Psychology Research Ethics Committee (references: 21–138) and was sponsored by the University of Bath and North Bristol NHS trust.
Funding Information:
Institutional Review Board Statement: The study was conducted according to the guidelines of the Declaration of Helsinki. CERA received ethical approval from the University of Bath (reference: 4421) and the Ethics Committee at Children’s Health Ireland at Crumlin and received regulatory approval from the Health Regulation Authority and Health and Care Research Wales (IRAS: 281944). The present study was granted ethical approval by the University of Bath Psychology Research Ethics Committee (reference: 21–138) and was sponsored by the University of Bath and North Bristol NHS trust.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.
PY - 2021/12/10
Y1 - 2021/12/10
N2 - This study aimed to gain an uncensored insight into the most difficult aspects of working as a frontline doctor across successive COVID-19 pandemic waves. Data collected by the parent study (CERA) was analysed using conventional content analysis. Participants comprised frontline doctors who worked in emergency, anaesthetic, and intensive care medicine in the UK and Ireland during the COVID-19 pandemic (n = 1379). All seniority levels were represented, 42.8% of the sample were male, and 69.2% were white. Four themes were identified with nine respective categories (in parentheses): (1) I’m not a COVID hero, I’m COVID cannon fodder (exposed and unprotected, “a kick in the teeth”); (2) the relentlessness and pervasiveness of COVID (“no respite”, “shifting sands”); (3) the ugly truths of the frontline (“inhumane” care, complex team dynamics); (4) an overwhelmed system exacerbated by COVID (overstretched and under-resourced, constant changes and uncertainty, the added hinderance of infection control measures). Findings reflect the multifaceted challenges faced after successive pandemic waves; basic wellbeing needs continue to be neglected and the emotional impact is further pronounced. Steps are necessary to mitigate the repeated trauma exposure of frontline doctors as COVID-19 becomes endemic and health services attempt to recover with inevitable long-term sequelae.
AB - This study aimed to gain an uncensored insight into the most difficult aspects of working as a frontline doctor across successive COVID-19 pandemic waves. Data collected by the parent study (CERA) was analysed using conventional content analysis. Participants comprised frontline doctors who worked in emergency, anaesthetic, and intensive care medicine in the UK and Ireland during the COVID-19 pandemic (n = 1379). All seniority levels were represented, 42.8% of the sample were male, and 69.2% were white. Four themes were identified with nine respective categories (in parentheses): (1) I’m not a COVID hero, I’m COVID cannon fodder (exposed and unprotected, “a kick in the teeth”); (2) the relentlessness and pervasiveness of COVID (“no respite”, “shifting sands”); (3) the ugly truths of the frontline (“inhumane” care, complex team dynamics); (4) an overwhelmed system exacerbated by COVID (overstretched and under-resourced, constant changes and uncertainty, the added hinderance of infection control measures). Findings reflect the multifaceted challenges faced after successive pandemic waves; basic wellbeing needs continue to be neglected and the emotional impact is further pronounced. Steps are necessary to mitigate the repeated trauma exposure of frontline doctors as COVID-19 becomes endemic and health services attempt to recover with inevitable long-term sequelae.
KW - COVID-19
KW - Frontline workers
KW - Healthcare workers
KW - Moral injury
KW - Qualitative research
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85120798766&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.3390/ijerph182413067
DO - 10.3390/ijerph182413067
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85120798766
VL - 18
JO - International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
JF - International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
SN - 1660-4601
IS - 24
M1 - 13067
ER -
