ALTERNATIVE WORK AND WORLD. CHRONICITY OF EMERGENCIES AND THE WORK IN CRISIS UNIT

We describe the legal framework within which we carry out consultations, otherwise called expertises, with view to considering involuntary admissions to hospital for the treatment of mental illness (here called confinements). We note that in our area only 40% of consultations lead to involuntary admissions to hospital, and we believe that this number is related to our consideration of alternative methods of care in the community. We suggest a multi-centric study to evaluate what specific skills are required to properly carry out these assessments and to establish the extent to which the increased workload of assessments is influencing the rate of involuntary admissions

Psychological distress among hospital caregivers during and after the first wave of COVID-19: Individual factors involved in the severity of symptoms expression

Coronavirus disease 2019 has spread rapidly over the globe and has put an unprecedent psychological pressure on health care workers (HCWs). The present study aimed at quantifying the psychological consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic on HCWs during and after the first wave and identify sociodemographic, situational, and psychological risk/protective factors for symptoms severity. An online survey was sent by e-mail to all nurses and physicians employed by a teaching hospital in Brussels, Belgium. 542 (20,62%) completed the survey. 47%, 55%, 32% and 52% of participants reported posttraumatic stress, anxiety, depression and insomnia symptoms, respectively, during the peak. Two to three months later, posttraumatic symptoms emerged de novo in 54% of HCWs. It persisted in 89% of those presenting severe symptoms initially. Neuroticism was the strongest predictor of posttraumatic stress, anxiety, and insomnia. Work overload was the strongest predictor of depression and second predictor of posttraumatic stress, anxiety, and insomnia. Other significant predictors included being a nurse, the number of past traumatic experiences, avoidant coping style, and expressive suppression of emotion