TY  - JOUR
U1  - Wissenschaftlicher Artikel
A1  - Schneider, Juliane Nora
A1  - Hiebel, Nina
A1  - Kriegsmann-Rabe, Milena
A1  - Schmuck, Jonas
A1  - Erim, Yesim
A1  - Morawa, Eva
A1  - Jerg-Bretzke, Lucia
A1  - Beschoner, Petra
A1  - Albus, Christian
A1  - Hannemann, Julian
A1  - Weidner, Kerstin
A1  - Steudte-Schmiedgen, Susann
A1  - Radbruch, Lukas
A1  - Brunsch, Holger
A1  - Geiser, Franziska
T1  - Moral Distress in Hospitals During the First Wave of the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Web-Based Survey Among 3,293 Healthcare Workers Within the German Network University Medicine
JF  - Frontiers in Psychology
N2  - Objective: The present study aimed to investigate the correlation between moral distress and mental health symptoms, socio-demographic, occupational, and COVID-19-related variables, and to determine differences in healthcare workers' (HCW) moral distress during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. Method: Data from 3,293 HCW from a web-based survey conducted between the 20th of April and the 5th of July 2020 were analyzed. We focused on moral distress (Moral Distress Thermometer, MDT), depressive symptoms (Patient Health Questionnaire-2, PHQ-2), anxiety symptoms (Generalized Anxiety Disorder-2, GAD-2), and increased general distress of nurses, physicians, medical-technical assistants (MTA), psychologists/psychotherapists, and pastoral counselors working in German hospitals. Results: The strongest correlations for moral distress were found with depressive symptoms, anxiety symptoms, occupancy rate at current work section, and contact with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Nurses and MTA experienced significantly higher moral distress than physicians, psychologists/psychotherapists, and pastoral counselors. The average level of moral distress reported by nurses from all work areas was similar to levels which before the pandemic were only experienced by nurses in intensive or critical care units. Conclusion: Results indicate that moral distress is a relevant phenomenon among HCW in hospitals during the COVID-19 pandemic, regardless of whether they work at the frontline or not and requires urgent attention.
KW  - COVID-19
KW  - anxiety
KW  - healthcare workers
KW  - mental health
KW  - moral distress
KW  - depression
KW  - healthcare
Y1  - 2021
SN  - 1664-1078
SS  - 1664-1078
U6  - https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.775204
DO  - https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.775204
PM  - 34867685
VL  - 12
PB  - Frontiers Media
ER  -