Psychological impact on healthcare workers in obstetrics and gynecology in France in 18 French University Hospitals during the first Covid-19 lockdown: a prospective observational study

Abstract

Purpose

To assess the level of stress and anxiety in healthcare workers in the departments of obstetrics and gynecology in France during and after the first Covid-19 lockdown.

Methods

Two web-based cross-sectional surveys using several validated questionnaires (the HAD scale, the PSS-10 questionnaire and the Short Form 12 Questionnaire [SF-12]) were proposed to all staff of obstetrics and gynecologic departments in 18 French university hospitals.

Results

A total of 1565 respondents answered the first questionnaire and 1109 completed the second survey. Respondents reported greater levels of stress and impaired mental quality of life during the lockdown, followed by a significant improvement after the end of lockdown (respectively p < .0001 and p = .01). Anxiety was significantly higher among the older participants during the lockdown (p = .008). The potential putative factors related to impaired mental health status were personal protective equipment (PPE) deficit (<.0001), the fear of contracting the virus from the workplace and transmitting to their families (<.0001) and concerns about information given by media and hospitals (<.0001).

Conclusions

Understanding the heavy mental repercussions of the Covid-19 pandemic on healthcare workers could lead to the identification of high-risk in medical and non-medical staff and the implementation of targeted psychological monitoring program.

Keywords:

• Mental health
• Covid-19
• obstetrics
• gynecology
• anxiety
• stress

Ethical approval

The present work was approved by the Comité de Protection des personnes Sud Méditerranée (Date of approval: 04/29/2020; ClinicalTrials.Gov identifier: NCT04375644; Ethical approval reference: 20.04.29.30209).

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank all the healthcare workers from the 18 French University Hospitals who participated in this study. We also want to pay tribute to all the professionals in the gynecology and obstetrics departments who have been infected by Covid-19 as well as those who have died from it. Finally, the authors acknowledge the support of the HCL Covid Task Force.

Author contributions

Chene G: conception, design, planning, analyzing and writing up of the work; Nohuz E, Cerruto E: planning, analyzing and writing up of the work; Moret S: design, analyzing of the work; Atallah A: analyzing and writing up of the work; Saoud M: conception, planning, analyzing and writing up of the work.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).