The caregiving work experience of healthcare workers in Chile during the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on mental health: A qualitative study based on the international initiative HEROES.

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  • Additional Information
    • Transliterated Title:
      Experiencia de trabajo de cuidados de trabajadores de la salud en Chile durante la pandemia COVID-19 y su impacto en la salud mental: estudio cualitativo a partir de la iniciativa internacional HEROES.
    • Source:
      Publisher: Medwave Estudios Limitada Country of Publication: Chile NLM ID: 101581949 Publication Model: Electronic Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 0717-6384 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 07176384 NLM ISO Abbreviation: Medwave Subsets: MEDLINE
    • Publication Information:
      Publication: Santiago, Chile : Medwave Estudios Limitada
      Original Publication: [Santiago : Mednet]
    • Subject Terms:
      COVID-19*/epidemiology ; COVID-19*/psychology ; Health Personnel*/psychology ; Mental Health*; Humans ; Chile ; Female ; Male ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Adult ; Interviews as Topic ; Middle Aged ; Caregivers/psychology ; Social Stigma ; Qualitative Research
    • Abstract:
      Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the mental health of healthcare workers. Studying the care perspective is essential to understanding the causes of specific mental health findings and proposing strategies to address them.
      Methods: Cross-sectional study with a thematic analytical approach, derived from the international initiative "The Health Care Workers Study" (HEROES), conducted among healthcare workers in Chile during the second semester of 2022 and the first of 2023 through semi-structured interviews and inductive coding.
      Results: A narrative synthesis of 35 interviews in four themes: care at work: the presence of changes in work tasks, concern about becoming infected, collective "mystique", stigma due to being a healthcare worker, conflicts with patients; care at home: multiple ways of arranging household tasks, the relevance of living with others, interrelation with work dynamics, "double burden" among women; relationship with one's own mental health: recognition of mental health impact, the stress associated with change and uncertainty, perception of work overload, feelings of guilt or responsibility for infecting family members; and beliefs and values about the pandemic and its effects: acceptance of psychological impact on healthcare workers, organizational culture as a relevant element in postponing one's own mental health, initial disbelief in the effects of the pandemic, similarities with previous periods of social upheaval, and equality among people in terms of vulnerability to the disease.
      Conclusions: Five elements emerge as potential areas for intervention: gender perspective, previous exposure to crisis experiences, self-care spaces, peer support, and institutional response. The care perspective helps study the relationship between some stressors and healthcare workers' mental health in the context of a pandemic.
      Competing Interests: The authors declare no potential conflicts of interest related to this study's research, authorship and/or publication.
      (This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.)
    • Contributed Indexing:
      Keywords: Caregiving; Healthcare Workers; Mental Health; Pandemics
      Local Abstract: [Publisher, Spanish; Castilian] La pandemia por COVID-19 ha impactado la salud mental de los trabajadores de salud. La perspectiva de cuidados se ha identificado como necesaria de estudiar, para entender causas atribuibles asociadas a hallazgos específicos en materia de salud mental y proponer cursos de acción para abordarla. [Publisher, Spanish; Castilian] Estudio de carácter transversal con enfoque analítico temático, derivado de la iniciativa internacional (HEROES) Fue realizado entre trabajadores de salud en Chile, durante el segundo semestre de 2022 y el primero de 2023, a través entrevistas semiestructuradas y codificación inductiva. [Publisher, Spanish; Castilian] Síntesis narrativa de 35 entrevistas, en cuatro temas: cuidados en el trabajo: presencia de cambios de funciones, preocupación por contagio, “mística” colectiva, estigma por condición de trabajador de la salud, conflictos con pacientes; cuidados en el hogar: diversas formas de arreglos de tareas domésticas, relevancia de la convivencia con otros, interrelación con dinámicas laborales, “doble carga” entre mujeres; relación con la propia salud mental: reconocimiento de afectación en salud mental, estrés asociado a cambio e incertidumbre, percepción de sobrecarga laboral, sentimientos de culpa o responsabilidad por contagio a familiares; y creencias y valores sobre la pandemia y sus efectos: aceptación de afectación psíquica de trabajadores de la salud, cultura organizacional como elemento relevante en postergación de propia salud mental, incredulidad inicial ante efectos de la pandemia, similitudes con periodos de conmoción social previos, igualdad entre personas respecto a vulnerabilidad frente a enfermedad. [Publisher, Spanish; Castilian] Cinco elementos surgen como potenciales áreas de intervención: perspectiva de género, exposición previa a experiencias de crisis, espacios de autocuidado, apoyo de pares y respuesta institucional. La perspectiva de cuidados es útil para estudiar la relación entre algunos factores estresantes y la salud mental de los trabajadores de salud en el contexto de pandemia.
    • Publication Date:
      Date Created: 20240830 Date Completed: 20240830 Latest Revision: 20240830
    • Publication Date:
      20240902
    • Accession Number:
      10.5867/medwave.2024.07.2952
    • Accession Number:
      39213474