ArticleBMJ open2021
Qualitative study of UK health professionals' experiences of working at the point of care during the COVID-19 pandemic.
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 19 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
19 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 40 citations in OpenAlex.
- Resilience among health care workers while working during a pandemic: A systematic review and meta synthesis of qualitative studies.Clinical psychology review · 2022Pooled it
- Stepping outside the clinic walls: health professionals' encounters with place during the COVID-19 pandemic.BMC public health · 2026Article
- Article
- Frontliners narratives: qualitative insights into EMDR group therapy during COVID-19.European journal of psychotraumatology · 2025Article
- Glycaemic control in labour with diabetes: GILD, a scoping study.Health technology assessment (Winchester, England) · 2025Article
- Secondary stressors and their psychosocial impacts on healthcare staff: lessons from a qualitative systematic review from the COVID-19 pandemic in the UK.BJPsych open · 2025Review
- Article
- Article
- The Impact of COVID-19 on Healthcare Services in Bangladesh: A Qualitative Study on Healthcare Providers' Perspectives.Journal of preventive medicine and public health = Yebang Uihakhoe chi · 2024Article
- Perceptions of healthcare professionals' psychological wellbeing at work and the link to patients' experiences of care: A scoping review.International journal of nursing studies advances · 2023Article
- Priority Health Needs and Challenges in New Zealand Pacific Communities-A Qualitative Analysis of Healthcare Delivery during the COVID-19 Pandemic.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Article
- A qualitative descriptive study of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on staff in a Canadian intensive care unit.Canadian journal of anaesthesia = Journal canadien d'anesthesie · 2023Article
- In it together?: Exploring solidarity with frontline workers in the United Kingdom and Ireland during COVID-19.The British journal of social psychology · 2023Article
- How do care environments shape healthcare? A synthesis of qualitative studies among healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic.BMJ open · 2022Article
- Article
- Factors affecting the professional functioning of health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic: A cross-sectional study.Journal of nursing management · 2022Article
- The iHV Emotional Wellbeing at Work Champions Programme: Building capacity to protect and enhance the emotional wellbeing of the health visiting workforce in the UK.Public health in practice (Oxford, England) · 2022Article
- Mental Health Symptoms and Workplace Challenges among Australian Paramedics during the COVID-19 Pandemic.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Article
- Family Physicians' Perceived Needs Regarding Their Mental Health and Wellbeing in Infectious Catastrophic Events: A Mixed Studies Literature Review.Journal of primary care & community healthReview
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
2 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectivesTo develop an understanding of health professionals' experiences of working at the point of care during the COVID-19 pandemic, the impact on their health and well-being and their support needs.
designA qualitative study using semistructured interviews. Data were analysed using framework analysis.
settingOne large National Health Service integrated care trust.
participantsA purposive sample of 19 qualified health professionals (doctors, nurses or allied health professionals), working with patients with COVID-19 admitted to the hospitals between March and May 2020 were eligible to take part.
resultsEight major categories were identified: (1) Working in a 'war zone', (2) 'Going into a war zone without a weapon', (3) 'Patients come first', (4) Impact of COVID-19, (5) Leadership and management, (6) Support systems, (7) Health professionals' support needs, and (8) Camaraderie and pride. Health professionals reported increased levels of stress, anxiety and a lack of sleep. They prioritised their patients' needs over their own and felt a professional obligation to be at work. A key finding was the reported camaraderie among the health professionals where they felt that they were 'fighting this war together'.
conclusionsThis study provides a valuable insight into the experiences of some of the frontline health professionals working in a large London-based hospital trust during the first COVID-19 peak. Findings from this study could be used to inform how managers, leaders and organisations can better support their health professional staff during the current pandemic and beyond.
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Registered trials
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