Frontline Healthcare Professional’s Acute Stress Disorder during Covid-19

Background: Frontline healthcare workers are on high risk since the Covid-19 virus outbreak. A frontline healthcare professional (HP) combatted patients’ deaths and disasters from the virus. Own injury, potential complications, and isolation were anticipated. Methods: This is a case report of a HP who withdrew to self-isolation for 2-weeks with an intensifying fear of health deterioration. The isolation and feelings of being in poor health, opened for an asynchronous email therapy with CBT in Socratic-maieutic style with about 60 open-ended questions and triangulated with a projective test. The acute stress disorder (ASD) was validated by National Stressful Events Survey Acute Stress Disorder Short Scale (NSESSS). Results: The NSESSS confirmed the severity of ASD. Seven symptoms were repeatedly assessed death anxiety, worries about family after own death, chest compression, stress, depression, and other psychological and physical symptoms. The four assessments were done at the COVID-19 diagnosis, at start and end of the asynchronous email therapy along with two follow-ups at 10 weeks and 9 months, respectively. Friedman test with Page L trend test revealed a steady symptom-improvement trend over all measurements (p <0.001; Page L, p <0.001). Conclusion: The psychological symptoms increased during isolation and quarantine periods and escalated the physical awkwardness in the healthcare professional. Consequently, both types of discomfort need to be appropriately addressed.