Mental health impact on healthcare workers from COVID-19 in Vietnam: Suggestions for a preventive program

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a negative impact on the mental health of healthcare workers participating in the prevention and control of the pandemic, thereby reducing their quality of life and affecting the quality of patient outcomes. This study aims to explore and deeply understand the mental health problems among healthcare workers participating in the prevention and control of COVID-19 in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. A mixed methods study was undertaken with a descriptive cross-sectional survey of 2870 healthcare workers who have been participating in the prevention and control of COVID-19 in Ho Chi Minh City in 2021, followed by a qualitative descriptive phenomenological study comprised of in-depth interviews with a purposively sampled subset of 40 healthcare workers. Results showed that of the 2870 survey participants, the majority (60.6%) were female, and the average age was 35.1 (SD = 8.6). The prevalence of stress, anxiety and depression was 17.2%, 20.8%, and 17.6%, respectively. The findings from in-depth interviews revealed that the participants were under extreme mental health issues such as worries, stress, and negative emotions. The worrying was related to risk of infection, being shunned, stigmatised, or assaulted by the community. Stress was due to excessive pressure from work. Negative emotions were identified as sadness, self-pity, feelings of loneliness, entrusting fate, feelings of guilt, anxiety, confusion, obsession, disorientation, physical and mental exhaustion. Promoting mental health among healthcare workers who participated in the crisis is necessary and urgent.