Mental health complaints among healthcare workers engaged in the care of COVID‐19 patients: A prospective cohort study from Japan

BACKGROUND: Healthcare workers (HCWs) caring for patients with coronavirus disease‐2019 (COVID‐19) can experience physical and mental health burdens. It is imperative that hospitals reduce such burdens on frontline HCWs, protect them, and support their healthcare. This study aimed to investigate the association between occupation and the manifestation of physical or psychological symptoms among HCWs during the current COVID‐19 pandemic. METHODS: A twice‐weekly survey using questionnaires targeting HCWs who care for COVID‐19 patients was performed at Osaka Metropolitan University Hospital (tertiary hospital). The demographic characteristics of the participants, exposure level, and physical and psychological complaints were evaluated. RESULTS: Seventy‐one HCWs participated in this study, of whom 27 (38.0%) were doctors, 25 (35.2%) were nurses, and 19 (26.8%) were technicians. Among the HCWs, the proportions of those who experienced any physical or psychological symptoms were 28.2% and 31.0%, respectively. The frequency of depression and anxiety was obviously higher among the nurses than that among the doctors (both p < 0.01). Multivariate analysis revealed that being a nurse (odds ratio 4.90; p = 0.04) and having physical complaints (odds ratio 4.66; p = 0.02) might be independent predictors of the manifestation of psychological symptoms. CONCLUSION: Our results indicate that the follow‐up of HCWs experiencing physical symptoms, especially nurses engaged in the care of COVID‐19 patients, may require more careful management to improve the psychological outcomes. We believe that this study is the first step toward establishing a psychological health management strategy for HCWs caring for COVID‐19 patients.