Psychosocial effects of SARS on hospital staff: survey of a large tertiary care institution

The outbreak of SARS in 2003 had a dramatic effect on the health care system in Toronto. The main objective of this study was to investigate the psychosocial effects associated with working in a hospital environment during this outbreak. Questionnaires were distributed to all willing employees of Su...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:	Canadian Medical Association journal (CMAJ) Vol. 170; no. 5; pp. 793 - 798
Main Authors:	Nickell, Leslie A, Crighton, Eric J, Tracy, C Shawn, Al-Enazy, Hadi, Bolaji, Yemisi, Hanjrah, Sagina, Hussain, Ayesha, Makhlouf, Samia, Upshur, Ross E G
Format:	Journal Article
Language:	English
Published:	Canada CMA Impact, Inc 02-03-2004 Canadian Medical Association
Subjects:	Adult Burnout, Professional - psychology Canada - epidemiology Contact Tracing Cross Infection - epidemiology Cross Infection - psychology Data Collection Disease Outbreaks Female Hospitals, Teaching Humans Infection Control Infectious Disease Transmission, Patient-to-Professional Life Style Male Middle Aged Personnel, Hospital - psychology Psychology Quarantine - psychology Regression Analysis Risk Factors SARS coronavirus Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome - epidemiology Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome - psychology Surveys and Questionnaires Canada
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Summary:	The outbreak of SARS in 2003 had a dramatic effect on the health care system in Toronto. The main objective of this study was to investigate the psychosocial effects associated with working in a hospital environment during this outbreak. Questionnaires were distributed to all willing employees of Sunnybrook and Women's College Health Sciences Centre between Apr. 10 and 22, 2003. The survey included questions regarding concern about SARS, precautionary measures, personal well-being and sociodemographic characteristics; a subsample also received the 12-item version of the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12). Of the 4283 questionnaires distributed, 2001 (47%) were returned, representing 27% of the total hospital employee population of 7474. The proportions of respondents who were allied health care professionals, nurses and doctors and who worked in areas other than patient care were representative of the hospital staff population as a whole. Of the 2001 questionnaires, 510 contained the GHQ-12. Two-thirds of the respondents reported SARS-related concern for their own or their family's health. A total of 148 respondents (29%) scored above the threshold point on the GHQ-12, indicating probable emotional distress; the rate among nurses was 45%. Masks were reported to be the most bothersome infection control precaution. Logistic regression analysis identified 4 factors as being significantly associated with increased levels of concern for personal or family health: perception of a greater risk of death from SARS (adjusted odds ratio [OR] 5.0, 95% confidence interval [CI] 2.6-9.6), living with children (adjusted OR 1.8, 95% CI 1.5-2.3), personal or family lifestyle affected by SARS outbreak (adjusted OR 3.3, 95% CI 2.5-4.3) and being treated differently by people because of working in a hospital (adjusted OR 1.6, 95% CI 1.2-2.1). Four factors were identified as being significantly associated with the presence of emotional distress: being a nurse (adjusted OR 2.8, 95% CI 1.5-5.5), part-time employment status (adjusted OR 2.6, 95% CI 1.2-5.4), lifestyle affected by SARS outbreak (adjusted OR 2.2, 95% CI 1.4-3.5) and ability to do one's job affected by the precautionary measures (adjusted OR 2.9, 95% CI 1.9-4.6). Our findings indicate that the SARS outbreak had significant psychosocial effects on hospital staff. These effects differed with respect to occupation and risk perception. The effect on families and lifestyle was also substantial. These findings highlight the need for interventions to address psychosocial distress and concern and to provide support for employees during such crises.
Bibliography:	ObjectType-Article-2 SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1 ObjectType-Feature-1 content type line 23 ObjectType-Article-1 ObjectType-Feature-2
ISSN:	0820-3946 1488-2329
DOI:	10.1503/cmaj.1031077