Version 1
: Received: 13 December 2023 / Approved: 14 December 2023 / Online: 14 December 2023 (12:16:30 CET)
How to cite:
Ogello, V.; Thuo, N.; Okello, P.; Maina, G.; Kinuthia, J.; Ongeri, L.; Mutua, P.; Mwenda, H.; Mugo, N.; Ngure, K. Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Health Providers’ Mental Health: Experiences at Kenyatta National Hospital, Kenya. Preprints2023, 2023121081. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202312.1081.v1
Ogello, V.; Thuo, N.; Okello, P.; Maina, G.; Kinuthia, J.; Ongeri, L.; Mutua, P.; Mwenda, H.; Mugo, N.; Ngure, K. Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Health Providers’ Mental Health: Experiences at Kenyatta National Hospital, Kenya. Preprints 2023, 2023121081. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202312.1081.v1
Ogello, V.; Thuo, N.; Okello, P.; Maina, G.; Kinuthia, J.; Ongeri, L.; Mutua, P.; Mwenda, H.; Mugo, N.; Ngure, K. Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Health Providers’ Mental Health: Experiences at Kenyatta National Hospital, Kenya. Preprints2023, 2023121081. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202312.1081.v1
APA Style
Ogello, V., Thuo, N., Okello, P., Maina, G., Kinuthia, J., Ongeri, L., Mutua, P., Mwenda, H., Mugo, N., & Ngure, K. (2023). Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Health Providers’ Mental Health: Experiences at Kenyatta National Hospital, Kenya. Preprints. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202312.1081.v1
Chicago/Turabian Style
Ogello, V., Nelly Mugo and Kenneth Ngure. 2023 "Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Health Providers’ Mental Health: Experiences at Kenyatta National Hospital, Kenya" Preprints. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202312.1081.v1
Abstract
Background: In 2020, health providers were expected to provide care to individuals with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) putting them at risk of acquiring COVID-19. The possibility of acquiring poorly understood infectious diseases while providing care may have an impact on the mental health of providers. We conducted a study to explore the effects of COVID-19 on the mental health of healthcare providers.
Methods: Between April and August 2021, we conducted in-depth interviews with 60 health providers in the infectious disease unit (IDU) and other units in the hospital (non-IDU). Health providers completed an online self-administered survey form with demographic data (age, sex, average income, and known contact with a COVID-19 patient). We used semi-structured interview guides to understand health providers’ lived experiences with stress, anxiety, depression, and their associated factors. We transcribed interviews verbatim, coded and analyzed the transcripts to derive thematic concepts related to mental health experiences.
Results: Health providers had a median age of 37 years, [IQR 20.0-58.0], 56.7% were female, 30.0% nurses, 18.3% medical doctors, and 11.7% laboratory technologists. Health providers reported increased stress during the pandemic attributed to high demand for patient care, changes in social life, and fear of COVID-19 infection. They also reported experiences of anxiety and depression as a result of limited knowledge at the beginning of the pandemic and the perception that ‘COVID-19 resulted in death’. Testing positive for COVID-19, high exposure to COVID-19 risks, and death of patients and colleagues reportedly affected health providers’ mental health. Additionally, health providers reported mental health support through debriefing meetings, peer-to-peer support, and psychological counseling with privacy and confidentiality concerns.
Conclusion: Health providers faced mental health issues such as stress and anxiety while taking care of COVID-19 patients. An effective mental health response requires institutional practices that address context-specific challenges such as privacy and confidentiality.
Keywords
COVID-19; Mental health; Health providers; Kenyatta National Hopsital
Subject
Social Sciences, Behavior Sciences
Copyright:
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
