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doctors don't have the mental health support they need
frontline health care workers seek help to manage the mental stress of being on the frontlines of covid-19.
apr 9 2020
3 minute read
frontline health care workers need help. stock/getty
covid-19 is impacting people from coast to coast and while worry and fear take a toll on our mental health — this just from watching things unfold from a distance — the emotional consequences are especially harsh for those on the frontlines.
now, provincial medical associations, doctor organizations and grassroots physician groups are increasing mental health resources and support for physicians to accommodate the ever-changing and evolving landscape as covid-19 spreads, according to the medical post .
dr. caroline gerin-lajoie, the executive vice president of physician health and wellness at the canadian medical association (cma) told al jazeera back in march that despite being trained for health crises, covid-19 is revealing distinctive challenges for health care workers.
“we’re facing a crisis that is at a level we have not seen in many, many years,” she said. with added stress from working in a hectic atmosphere and providing care to patients, health care workers also fear catching the virus and passing it onto their families, dwindling supplies of personal protective equipment (ppe) and having to ration supplies to treat patients.
physicians told the medical post that guilt about not being on the frontlines of the pandemic, financial worries, the stress of wearing so much ppe (which limits doctors from properly connecting with patients), difficulty with virtual appointments, fear about not being prepared for the pandemic and facing the death of patients were other stressors.
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all of these stressors are having an impact on our health care providers. a recent study looked at the mental health of 1,257 health care workers who cared for covid-19 patients at 34 hospitals in china. many of them reported symptoms of depression (50 per cent), anxiety (45 per cent), insomnia (34 per cent) and psychological distress (71.5 per cent).
these challenges are leading many organizations to find ways to connect with physicians to provide resources that prioritize mental health. many colleagues across the country, like dr. mamata gautam, a psychologist from ottawa, are running daily zoom meetings for doctors to talk about their experiences with covid-19. she told the medical post that she has had over 750 doctors sign up for the daily meetings, with about 25 to 40 joining the call each day.
“i think they appreciate knowing it is available to them if and when they may want it,” said dr. gautam. “it’s a safe place to share feelings, normalize feelings, offer mutual support and some strategies on how to cope with feelings in this situation, so they can continue to be productive.”
other mental health resources are expanding as well. the royal college of physicians and surgeons compiled a list of wellness resources for physicians, while provincial organizations across the country are working to provide more counselling, group chats and written resources for doctors. the cma told the medical post that it is also working to provide more resources , including a confidential phone line and email to connect doctors with mental health professionals and confidential one-on-one support for those struggling during the pandemic.
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while the increase in support and wellness services for physicians is a great start, at the moment there’s no national mental health strategy for workers on the frontlines, despite the fact that many organizations have called for the federal government to implement more support services.
gerin-lajoie said the cma is among those that has asked the federal government to create a national mental health hotline for workers to call so that they can get support. “in order to take care of other people, you must take care of yourself first,” she told al jeezra, urging health care workers to use any mental health resources available to them.
“the risk in this situation is that it may be prolonged,” she said. “people will be stretching themselves out physically and psychologically over a longer period of time — and that’s why we need to be supportive of one another.”
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