Impacto psicol?gico de la COVID-19 en profesionales sanitarios de primera l?nea en el ?mbito occidental. Una revisi?n sistem?tica

The aim of this study was to assess the psychological impact among healthcare workers who stand in the frontline of the SARS-CoV-2 crisis and to compare it with the rest of healthcare professionals, by means of a systematic review of Western publications. The systematic review was carried out in PubMed, Scopus and Web of Science databases and 12 descriptive studies were reviewed. The European and American quantitative studies reported moderate and high levels of stress, anxiety, depression, sleep disturbance and burnout, with diverse coping strategies and more frequent and intense symptoms among women and nurses, without conclusive results by age. In the first line of assistance the psychological impact was greater than in the rest of the health professionals and in the Asian area. It is necessary to go deeper into the emotional experiences and professional needs for emotional support in order to design effective interventions for protection and help. (c) 2020 Elsevier Espana, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

The study found that healthcare workers on the frontline of the SARS-CoV-2 crisis face higher levels of psychological stress, anxiety, depression, sleep disturbance, and burnout, with women and nurses experiencing more frequent and intense symptoms. Further exploration of their emotional experiences and professional need for emotional support is needed to design effective interventions.