Respected but stigmatized: Healthcare workers caring for COVID-19 patients

BACKGROUND: Healthcare workers (HCWs) caring for Corona Virus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients are at increased risk of being stigmatized, which compromises their individual mental well-being and the quality of care they deliver. Stigma-reduction interventions may (partly) prevent this. However, there is a lack of in-depth understanding of the experiences and underlying causes of COVID-19 stigma among HCWs, which is needed to design such interventions. We conducted in-depth semi-structured interviews to assess COVID-19 stigma among COVID-19 HCWs in Ireland, Nigeria, The Netherlands, Pakistan, and The Philippines. METHODS: We used a purposive and snowball sampling to recruit a total of 53 HCWs for online interviews (13 in Ireland; 15 in Nigeria; 6 in The Netherlands; 6 in Pakistan; and 13 in The Philippines (2021). After verbatim transcribing interviews, we used a thematic approach for data analysis. RESULTS: In all countries, stigmatization of COVID-19 HCWs is driven by fear of infection and the perception of HCWs being carriers of the disease amplified by them wearing of scrubs and personal protective equipment. There were differences between countries in the way stigma manifested in self- anticipated and experienced stigma like scolding, discrimination, avoidance, (self-) isolation, and exclusion in public, in the community, at work, and in the household. The stigma resulted in feelings of depression, loneliness, isolation, and the desire to quit one’s job. DISCUSSION: COVID-19 HCWs from all countries experienced all forms of stigmatization related to their work as a COVID-19 frontliner. This affected their mental well-being, which in turn affects job performance and quality of care, there is a high need to develop stigma reduction tools for HCWs.