Burnout and Resilience in Community Pharmacists in Qatar during the COVID-19 Pandemic: a Cross Sectional Study

Objective: The main aim of this study is to illustrate the prevalence of burnout and resilience among community pharmacists in Qatar during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: This is a cross-sectional study design that included the collection and analysis of quantitative data from community pharmacists in Qatar using a cross-sectional survey. Results: Overall, participants had a moderate level of burnout as illustrated in the mean scores of the three dimensions; 22.11±13.053 for emotional exhaustion, 7.17±6.55 for depersonalization, and 35.94±11.47 for personal accomplishment. The findings demonstrated that 15.2%, 15.6%, and 5.4% of community pharmacists had moderate levels of depression, anxiety, and stress, respectively. Further, they showed high resilience (35.7±8.57). Mental health outcomes were statistically positively correlated with fear while age was negatively correlated with depersonalization. Conclusion: This study is the first study to report the prevalence of mental health outcomes among community pharmacists during COVID-19 in Qatar. The pharmacists experienced moderate burnout but high resilience which indicates their high potential to overcome difficulties. Future interventions at the personal, national and organizational levels are needed to improve mental health during this pandemic by preventing and managing stress, improving self-efficacy and resilience, and providing adequate social support

The lived experiences of frontline nurses during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic in Qatar: A qualitative study

This study aims to explore the lived experiences of frontline nurses providing nursing care for COVID-19 patients in Qatar. Qualitative, Phenomenological. Nurses were recruited from a designated COVID-19 facility using purposive and snowball sampling. The participants were interviewed face-to-face using semi-structured interview questions from 6 September-10 October 2020. The interviews were transcribed and analyzed using Colaizzi's phenomenological method. A total of 30 nurses were interviewed; (76.7%) were deployed for >6 months. Three major themes were drawn from the analysis: (a) Challenges of working in a COVID-19 facility (subthemes: working in a new context and new working environment, worn out by the workload, the struggle of wearing protective gear, fear of COVID-19, witnessing suffering); (b) Surviving COVID-19 (subthemes: keeping it safe with extra measures, change in eating habits, teamwork and camaraderie, social support); and (c) Resilience of Nurses (subthemes: a true calling, a sense of purpose).This study was funded by the Medical Research Center at Hamad Medical Corporation (MRC-01-20-423

Quality of life, sleep quality, depression, anxiety, stress, eating habits, and social bounds in nurses during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic in qatar (The PROTECTOR study): A cross-sectional, comparative study

There have been numerous concerns regarding the physical and mental health of nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic. Stress, sleep deprivation, anxiety, and depression potentiated nurses’ vulnerability to poor eating habits. Aims and Objectives: The purpose of this study was to explore the differences between nurses’ characteristics with COVID-19 facility designation, and sleep quality, depression, anxiety, stress, eating habits, social bonds, and quality of life. Design: A cross-sectional, comparative study. Methods: An online survey was sent using the corporation’s email to nurses working in three hospitals in Qatar from September to December 2020. One of them is a designated COVID-19 facility. The sleep quality, depression, eating habits, social bonds, and quality of life were measured using The Insomnia Severity Index (ISI), Depression Anxiety and Stress Scale 21 (DASS-21), Emotional Eater Questionnaire (EEQ), Oslo Social Support Scale (OSSS-3), and the World Health Organization Quality of Life (WHOQOL-BREF), respectively. Results: A total of 200 nurses participated in the study (RR: 13.3%). No statistically significant association was found between designated facility (COVID-19 vs. not COVID-19) or nurses’ characteristics and ISI categories (OR 1.15; 95% CI 0.54, 2.44). Nurses working in COVID-19 facilities had increased odds of having higher EEQ categories by 2.62 times (95% CI 1.18, 5.83). Similarly, no statistically significant associations were found between any of the nurses’ characteristics and OSSS-3 categories. On the other hand, no statistically significant associations were found between any of the nurses’ characteristics and QOL domains except for the gender and social relationships’ domain. Conclusion: Overall, the quality of life of nurses in Qatar is on a positive level whether they are assigned to a COVID-19 facility or not. Although no significant difference was found with regard to the sleep quality, stress, anxiety, depression, and eating habits between nurses in a COVID-19 facility and in a non-COVID-19 facility, special interventions to diminish stressors need to be implemented and maintained.This study was funded by the Medical Research Center at Hamad Medical Corporation (MRC-01-20-392)

Repeated primary care consultations for non-specific physical symptoms in children in UK: a cohort study

BackgroundNon-specific physical symptoms (NSPS), such as headache and abdominal pain, are common reasons for children to consult primary care. NSPS represent a significant burden not only on society, but also on health care services, through frequent physician consultations and referrals to secondary care. Research evidence suggests a positive relationship between health and consulting behavior of parents and their children, but research on whether repeated physician consultations for NSPS in children is influenced by parental consultations for NSPS is lacking. The aim was to measure the frequency of repeated physician consultations for NSPS in children, and investigate whether this is influenced by maternal consultations for NSPS.MethodsA cohort study of children registered with primary care practices contributing to the Consultation in Primary Care Archive database. Participants were child-mother pairs registered between January 2007 and December 2010. The cohort comprised all children (n¿=¿1437) aged 2 to 16 years who consulted a physician for NSPS in 2009. Mothers¿ consultations for NSPS were measured between 2007 and 2008. Main outcome measures were repetition and frequency of consultations for NSPS in children (consultations for NSPS in both 2009 and 2010).ResultsOverall, 27% of children had repeated consultations for NSPS. The three most common repeated consultations were for back pain, constipation and abdominal pain. Exposure to maternal consultation NSPS was associated with 21% increase in consultation frequency for NSPS (adjusted incidence rate ratio 1.21; 95% CI 1.12, 1.31). After adjusting for child age and maternal age, maternal consultation for NSPS was associated with an increased risk of repeated consultations for NSPS in children (relative risk 1.41; 95% CI 1.16, 1.73). This association was also significant for specific NSPS groups including painful, gastrointestinal, and neurologic symptoms.ConclusionsRepeated consultation for NSPS is common among children. It is important for primary care physicians and secondary care clinicians, managing children referred from primary care for NSPS, to be aware that consultation for NSPS in mothers is a risk factor for repeated consultations for NSPS among children. More research is needed to uncover exactly how parental health influences health and consulting behavior of children