Alikhani, R.

Aminnejad, R.

Hormati, A.

Salimi, A.

eprints Iran University of Medical Sciences

See discussions, stats, and author profiles for this publication at: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/340626775Mental health advice for frontline healthcare providers caring for patientswith COVID-19Article  in  Canadian Journal of Anaesthesia · April 2020DOI: 10.1007/s12630-020-01650-3CITATIONS6READS2894 authors:Some of the authors of this publication are also working on these related projects:Can COVID-19 present unusual GI symptoms? View projectAttitute of anesthesioplogy residents and faculty members View projectRosa AlikhaniUniversity of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation Sciences10 PUBLICATIONS   40 CITATIONS   SEE PROFILEAlireza SalimiShahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences40 PUBLICATIONS   344 CITATIONS   SEE PROFILEAhmad HormatiQom University of Medical Science and Health Services55 PUBLICATIONS   65 CITATIONS   SEE PROFILEReza AminnejadQom University of Medical Science and Health Services37 PUBLICATIONS   75 CITATIONS   SEE PROFILEAll content following this page was uploaded by Reza Aminnejad on 15 April 2020.The user has requested enhancement of the downloaded file.CORRESPONDENCEMental health advice for frontline healthcare providers caringfor patients with COVID-19Rosa Alikhani, MD . Alireza Salimi, MD . Ahmad Hormati, MD .Reza Aminnejad, MDReceived: 26 March 2020 / Revised: 29 March 2020 / Accepted: 29 March 2020 Canadian Anesthesiologists’ Society 2020To the Editor,Since coronavirus disease (COVID-19) was firstreported,1 anesthesiologists, intensivists, and theirhealthcare teams have been at the forefront of the fight.Published guidance has focused on the protection of theseteams from infection and physical harm.2 There is muchless information to inform the protection of our teams’psychological well-being. At the best of times, workingunder pressure in stressful occupations leads to exhaustion.Interventions that minimize fatigue, burnout, and medicalerror will improve the care of COVID-19 patients and theirhealthcare providers, alike.3 All healthcare workers mustwork together to enact effective strategies to promotepsychological well-being.4 We base the followingsuggestions on our experience with COVID-19 in Iran:1) Sleep sufficiently and efficiently. You need rest torecover from today and prepare for tomorrow.2) Eat well, at least three times a day. You need fuel forthe long and difficult work ahead. Now more thanever, do not let the day’s work make you skip a meal.3) Maintain contact with your colleagues. Working withpatients in isolation also isolates their healthcareworkers. Share information and personal stories.Care for each other.4) Share decisions with your colleagues. Use their skill,experience, and support to guide you in thechallenging diagnostic and therapeutic decisionsyou will make.5) Constantly update your knowledge. Informationregarding COVID-19 grows and evolves rapidly.Develop an information-sharing network with yourcolleagues. Knowing you are providing the bestpossible care will ease your stress when patientssuffer poor outcomes.6) Maintain contact with your family and friends. Theyworry about your health as you worry about theirs.Call or video chat regularly to support each other.7) Make time for your hobbies and daily routine. Listento music, read a book, exercise. It will lend a sense ofnormalcy to your day and refresh you for your nextshift.8) Share your emotions. While patient confidentialitylimits sharing the details of your work, you can sharehow this work made you feel. Sharing the emotionalburden of COVID-19 care reduces mental andemotional fragility.R. Alikhani, MDDepartment of Psychiatry, Psychosis Research Center,University of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation Sciences,Tehran, IranA. Salimi, MDDepartment of Anesthesiology and Critical Care, ShahidBeheshti Medical University, Tehran, IranA. Hormati, MDGastroenterology and Hepatology Disease Research Center,Qom University of Medical Science, Qom, IranGastrointestinal and Liver Disease Research Center, IranUniversity of Medical Sciences, Tehran, IranR. Aminnejad, MD (&)Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care, ShahidBeheshti Medical University, Tehran, Irane-mail: r.aminnejad@yahoo.comDepartment of Anesthesiology and Critical Care, QomUniversity of Medical Sciences, Qom, Iran123Can J Anesth/J Can Anesthhttps://doi.org/10.1007/s12630-020-01650-39) Self-care did not begin with COVID-19. You mayhave struggled with your physical and emotionalhealth before the pandemic. Ensure that you continueto care for these pre-existing conditions in addition tothe new challenges posed by COVID-19. Seek helpfrom your primary care physician and yourdepartmental leadership.10) Get help. Reach out to a mental health professional ifyou are suffering anxiety, depression, symptoms ofpost-traumatic stress, or suicidal thoughts. Support acolleague in doing the same.We hope our experience in Iran helps our colleaguesaround the world weather the challenges of the globalCOVID-19 pandemic.Conflicts of interest None.Funding statement None.Editorial responsibility This submission was handled by Dr.Gregory L. Bryson, Deputy Editor-in-Chief, Canadian Journal ofAnesthesia.References1. Wu F, Zhao S, Yu B, et al. A new coronavirus associated withhuman respiratory disease in China. Nature. 2020;579:265–9.2. Wax RS, Christian MD. Practical recommendations for criticalcare and anesthesiology teams caring for novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) patients. Can J Anesth. 2020. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12630-020-01591-x.3. Lancet T. Physician burnout: the need to rehumanise healthsystems. Lancet. 2019. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(19)32669-8.4. Kuhn CM, Flanagan EM. Self-care as a professional imperative:physician burnout, depression, and suicide. Can J Anesth.2017;64:158–68.Publisher’s Note Springer Nature remains neutral with regard tojurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.123View publication stats

Mental health advice for frontline healthcare providers caring for patients with COVID-19

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Mental health advice for frontline healthcare providers caring for patients with COVID-19

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