ArticleBMJ open2021
Psychological distress and trauma in doctors providing frontline care during the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom and Ireland: a prospective longitudinal survey cohort study.
Article in BMJ open, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 30 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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Who cites it
30 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 39 citations in OpenAlex.
- Prevalence of post-traumatic stress disorder in healthcare workers before and during COVID-19: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Frontiers in public health · 2026Pooled it
- Prevalence of posttraumatic stress symptoms among physicians - A meta-analysis.European psychiatry : the journal of the Association of European Psychiatrists · 2025Pooled it
- Physician Posttraumatic Stress Disorder During COVID-19: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.JAMA network open · 2024Pooled it
- Mindfulness-Based Interventions for Mental Health Outcomes in Frontline Healthcare Workers During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Randomized Controlled Trial.Journal of general internal medicine · 2025Trial
- Clinician Distress in the Care of Seriously Ill Hospitalized Patients: A Mixed Methods Integration of Qualitative Findings and a Quantitative Typology.Research square · 2026Article
- Factors affecting UK anaesthetic trainees' wellbeing and stress: a scoping review.Anaesthesia · 2025Article
- Leadership training in emergency medicine: A national survey.AEM education and training · 2024Article
- Factors Associated with Impact of Event Scores Among Ontario Education Workers During the COVID-19 Pandemic.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2024Observational
- Gender sensitivity of the COVID-19 mental health research in Europe: a scoping review.International journal for equity in health · 2024Article
- Article
- The Irish Trainee Emergency Research Network (ITERN): five years of collaboration.Irish journal of medical science · 2024Article
- Perceived barriers and opportunities to improve working conditions and staff retention in emergency departments: a qualitative study.Emergency medicine journal : EMJ · 2024Article
- The COVID-19 ambulance response assessment (CARA) study: a national survey of ambulance service healthcare professionals' preparedness and response to the COVID-19 pandemic.British paramedic journal · 2024Article
- Article
- Observational
- Seeking and Providing Social Support on Twitter for Trauma and Distress During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Content and Sentiment Analysis.Journal of medical Internet research · 2023Article
- The psychological impact of adverse events on urology trainees.Irish journal of medical science · 2023Article
- COVID-19 community assessment hubs in Ireland: A study of staff and patient perceptions of their value.Health expectations : an international journal of public participation in health care and health policy · 2023Article
- Mental health and well-being of anaesthetists during the COVID-19 pandemic: a scoping review.Anaesthesia · 2023Article
- The impact of COVID-19 on relative health outcomes among healthcare workers in Canada.Healthcare management forum · 2022Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
20 authors at 11 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectivesThe psychological impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on doctors is a significant concern. Due to the emergence of multiple pandemic waves, longitudinal data on the impact of COVID-19 are vital to ensure an adequate psychological care response. The primary aim was to assess the prevalence and degree of psychological distress and trauma in frontline doctors during the acceleration, peak and deceleration of the COVID-19 first wave. Personal and professional factors associated with psychological distress are also reported.
designA prospective online three-part longitudinal survey.
settingAcute hospitals in the UK and Ireland.
participantsFrontline doctors working in emergency medicine, anaesthetics and intensive care medicine during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020. PRIMARY OUTCOME MEASURES: Psychological distress and trauma measured using the General Health Questionnaire-12 and the Impact of Events-Revised.
resultsThe initial acceleration survey distributed across networks generated a sample of 5440 doctors. Peak and deceleration response rates from the original sample were 71.6% (n=3896) and 56.6% (n=3079), respectively. Prevalence of psychological distress was 44.7% (n=1334) during the acceleration, 36.9% (n=1098) at peak and 31.5% (n=918) at the deceleration phase. The prevalence of trauma was 23.7% (n=647) at peak and 17.7% (n=484) at deceleration. The prevalence of probable post-traumatic stress disorder was 12.6% (n=343) at peak and 10.1% (n=276) at deceleration. Worry of family infection due to clinical work was the factor most strongly associated with both distress (R
conclusionFindings reflect a pattern of elevated distress at acceleration and peak, with some natural recovery. It is essential that policymakers seek to prevent future adverse effects through (a) provision of vital equipment to mitigate physical and psychological harm, (b) increased awareness and recognition of signs of psychological distress and (c) the development of clear pathways to effective psychological care. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: ISRCTN10666798.
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