Introduction:
The mental health of healthcare professionals is an often-neglected subject, despite evidence to suggest that poor mental health has negative impacts not only on personal wellbeing but also reduced productivity, increase in sick leave, increased likelihood of human errors and lower patient satisfaction.11Anagnostopoulos F, Liolios E, Persefonis G, Slater J, Kafetsios K, Niakas D. Physician burnout and patient satisfaction with consultation in primary health care settings: evidence of relationships from a one-with-many design.J Clin Psychol Med Settings . 2012;19(4):401–410. doi:10.1007/s10880-011-9278-8 22Dewa CS, Loong D, Bonato S, Thanh NX, Jacobs P. How does burnout affect physician productivity? A systematic literature review. BMC Health Serv Res . 2014;14:325. Published 2014 Jul 28. doi:10.1186/1472-6963-14-325 33Fahrenkopf AM, Sectish TC, Barger LK, et al. Rates of medication errors among depressed and burnt out residents: prospective cohort study.BMJ . 2008;336(7642):488–491. doi:10.1136/bmj.39469.763218.BE 44Lu DW, Dresden S, McCloskey C, Branzetti J, Gisondi MA. Impact of Burnout on Self-Reported Patient Care Among Emergency Physicians.West J Emerg Med . 2015;16(7):996–1001. doi:10.5811/westjem.2015.9.27945 55Shanafelt TD, Mungo M, Schmitgen J, et al. Longitudinal Study Evaluating the Association Between Physician Burnout and Changes in Professional Work Effort.Mayo Clin Proc . 2016;91(4):422–431. doi:10.1016/j.mayocp.2016.02.001
To date, there have been over 3.5 million cases of confirmed COVID-19 infection, with almost 250,000 deaths66Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center. (2020). Retrieved 4 May 2020, from https://coronavirus.jhu.edu. As a result, COVID-19 pandemic has applied huge pressure on healthcare systems and workers. Obstetricians and Gynaecologists have had to manage pregnant patients with this novel condition with only a limited evidence-base. Rapidly changing protocols and guidelines related to COVID-19 management, staffing levels and shift patterns have added an additional dimension to these pressures. On top of that, healthcare workers are in the fear of acquiring the infection themselves and spreading this further to their loved ones; some doctors even have had to isolate from their families because of this.
It is therefore important to ascertain the impact of these stressors on the mental health of doctors within the speciality and to identify the contributory factors. This understanding may help to support healthcare staff effectively, minimising the negative impact on mental health and improve clinical performance with a subsequent improvement in patient outcomes and satisfaction during future COVID-19 peaks.