The safety, health, and well-being of healthcare workers during COVID-19: A scoping review

Abdulqadir J. Nashwan; Rejo G. Mathew; Reni Anil; Nabeel F. Allobaney; Sindhumole Krishnan Nair; Ahmed S. Mohamed; Ahmad A. Abujaber; Abbas Balouchi; Evangelos C. Fradelos; Abdulqadir J. Nashwan; Rejo G. Mathew; Reni Anil; Nabeel F. Allobaney; Sindhumole Krishnan Nair; Ahmed S. Mohamed; Ahmad A. Abujaber; Abbas Balouchi; Evangelos C. Fradelos

doi:10.3934/publichealth.2023042

AIMS Public Health

2023, Volume 10, Issue 3: 593-609. doi: 10.3934/publichealth.2023042

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The safety, health, and well-being of healthcare workers during COVID-19: A scoping review

1.
Department of Nursing, Hazm Mebaireek General Hospital (HMGH), Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC), Doha, Qatar
2.
Department of Nursing, National Center for Cancer Care and Research (NCCCR), Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC), Doha, Qatar
3.
Department of Nursing Education, National Center for Cancer Care and Research (NCCCR), Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC), Doha, Qatar
4.
Department of Nursing Education, Al-Wakra Hospital (AWH), Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC), Doha, Qatar
5.
Department of Nursing, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
6.
Laboratory of Clinical Nursing, Department of Nursing, University of Thessaly, Larissa, Greece
These authors contributed equally to this work and are co-first authors.

Received: 11 April 2023 Revised: 01 June 2023 Accepted: 06 July 2023 Published: 21 July 2023

The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic has affected the safety and well-being of healthcare workers. A scoping review was conducted to highlight the impact of COVID-19 on the safety, health, and well-being of healthcare workers and to shed light on the concerns about their perceived safety and support systems. A literature search was conducted in three different databases from December 1, 2019, through July 20, 2022, to find publications that meet the aim of this review. Using search engines, 3087 articles were identified, and after a rigorous assessment by two reviewers, 30 articles were chosen for further analysis. Two themes emerged during the analysis: safety and health and well-being. The primary safety concern of the staff was mostly about contracting COVID-19, infecting family members, and caring for patients with COVID-19. During the pandemic, the health care workers appeared to have anxiety, stress, uncertainty, burnout, and a lack of sleep. Additionally, the review focused on the suggestions of health care providers to improve the safety and well-being of workers through fair organizational policies and practices and timely, individualized mental health care.
- COVID-19,
- pandemic,
- safety,
- health,
- well-being,
- healthcare workers
Citation: Abdulqadir J. Nashwan, Rejo G. Mathew, Reni Anil, Nabeel F. Allobaney, Sindhumole Krishnan Nair, Ahmed S. Mohamed, Ahmad A. Abujaber, Abbas Balouchi, Evangelos C. Fradelos. The safety, health, and well-being of healthcare workers during COVID-19: A scoping review[J]. AIMS Public Health, 2023, 10(3): 593-609. doi: 10.3934/publichealth.2023042

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Abstract

The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic has affected the safety and well-being of healthcare workers. A scoping review was conducted to highlight the impact of COVID-19 on the safety, health, and well-being of healthcare workers and to shed light on the concerns about their perceived safety and support systems. A literature search was conducted in three different databases from December 1, 2019, through July 20, 2022, to find publications that meet the aim of this review. Using search engines, 3087 articles were identified, and after a rigorous assessment by two reviewers, 30 articles were chosen for further analysis. Two themes emerged during the analysis: safety and health and well-being. The primary safety concern of the staff was mostly about contracting COVID-19, infecting family members, and caring for patients with COVID-19. During the pandemic, the health care workers appeared to have anxiety, stress, uncertainty, burnout, and a lack of sleep. Additionally, the review focused on the suggestions of health care providers to improve the safety and well-being of workers through fair organizational policies and practices and timely, individualized mental health care.

Acknowledgments

This study is not funded by any agency and is being conducted by the authors independently.

Conflict of interest

Evangelos C. Fradelos is an editorial board member for AIMS Public Health and was not involved in the editorial review or the decision to publish this article All authors declare that there are no competing interests.

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