Watermeyer Jennifer, Madonsela Sonto, Beukes Johanna
Health Communication Research Unit, School of Human and Community Development, Faculty of Humanities, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.
Health SA. 2023 Mar 31;28:2159. doi: 10.4102/hsag.v28i0.2159. eCollection 2023.
Little is known about the experiences and impact of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) on the mental health and wellbeing of healthcare workers (HCWs), particularly in Global South contexts.
The authors aimed to explore the experiences of HCWs at different points during the COVID-19 pandemic in South Africa.
This study's sample included 621 HCWs from various professions and health sectors who completed the survey during the pandemic peaks of waves I, II and III in South Africa.
The authors used a qualitative survey design exploring participants' general work, life, mental health and wellbeing experiences, and their support mechanisms or strategies. Data were analysed using thematic analysis.
The authors identified three overarching themes in the data, namely stress, adjustment to work during COVID-19, and support experiences and needs. These themes were common across all three survey waves, with some minor differences noted across the waves.
An overarching thread of uncertainty seems central to HCWs' experiences of working during COVID-19, related to pressures in the South African healthcare system that have been aggravated by the pandemic.
These findings have the potential to inform the development of contextually relevant approaches to support the mental health and wellbeing needs of HCWs during and after a pandemic. In particular, workplaces need to actively offer psychological support to all HCWs, not just to workers traditionally defined as frontline.
关于2019冠状病毒病（COVID-19）对医护人员心理健康和福祉的影响及经历，人们所知甚少，尤其是在全球南方地区。
作者旨在探究南非医护人员在COVID-19大流行期间不同阶段的经历。
本研究的样本包括621名来自不同职业和卫生部门的医护人员，他们在南非第一波、第二波和第三波疫情高峰期间完成了调查。
作者采用定性调查设计，探究参与者的一般工作、生活、心理健康和福祉经历，以及他们的支持机制或策略。使用主题分析法对数据进行分析。
作者在数据中确定了三个总体主题，即压力、COVID-19期间的工作调整，以及支持经历和需求。这些主题在所有三轮调查中都很常见，各轮之间存在一些细微差异。
不确定性这一总体主线似乎是医护人员在COVID-19期间工作经历的核心，这与南非医疗系统中因疫情而加剧的压力有关。
这些发现有可能为制定与实际情况相关的方法提供参考，以支持医护人员在大流行期间及之后的心理健康和福祉需求。特别是，工作场所需要积极为所有医护人员提供心理支持，而不仅仅是传统上定义的一线工作人员。
