Second Line Volunteering in Lombardy Covid-19 Emergency as a Perspective on Medical Education and Psychological Distress.

OBJECTIVE

Healthcare personnel across Italy were called to arms during COVID-19 emergency beginning March 2020. Despite their medical training, not all of them were able to fight in first line. Volunteering for COVID-19 Lombardy ICU Network Coordination Centre (C19-LINCC) was an opportunity to volunteer without being under biological threat: a smart-working in direct phone contact with the ICUs. Our aim was to investigate if second line volunteering during the COVID-19 outbreak had an impact on stress levels and whether medical training could mitigate them, along with personality factors, namely psychological flexibility.

METHOD

Volunteers of the C19-LINCC self-rated their own medical education related to SARS-CoV-2 and psychological response to the emergency. The questionnaire included five psychological scales (PSS, IES, MBI, AAQ-II, GHQ-12) addressing burnout, stress, general health, attention, cognitive fusion, and psychological flexibility.

RESULTS

Psychological distress (GHQ p≤0,0001) and perception of personal achievement (MBI_p≤0,0001) change whether the subject is a volunteer or not, while perception of medical education does not have a significant impact between the two groups. No differences were found in acceptance, mindfulness, and psychological flexibility skills, however they inversely correlated with stress, burnout, and anxiety levels.

CONCLUSIONS

During this period of mandatory lockdown, trained and in-training doctors showed to benefit from this smart home-based volunteering in the C19-LINCC. In addition to volunteering, psychological flexibility, mindfulness, and acceptance skills can act as protective factors. Potentially, these are soft skills that could be added to medical education.