ArticleBMJ open2022
Psychological distress of frontline healthcare workers in the intensive care unit during the early stage of the COVID-19 pandemic: a qualitative study from China.
Article in BMJ open, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 10 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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Who cites it
10 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 15 citations in OpenAlex.
- Experiences of team collaboration among intensive care nurses during COVID-19: a qualitative systematic review and meta-synthesis.Frontiers in public health · 2026Pooled it
- Resilience among health care workers while working during a pandemic: A systematic review and meta synthesis of qualitative studies.Clinical psychology review · 2022Pooled it
- Resilience as a mediator of the relationship between perceived social support and public health emergency-related post-traumatic growth among medical staff.BMC psychology · 2026Article
- Depression, anxiety, stress, and job performance among Turkish nurses in the early post-earthquake period.International nursing review · 2025Article
- Identifying and Evaluating Predictors of Well-Being Among Nurses Working in Saudi Arabia: A Cross-Sectional Study.Journal of nursing management · 2025Article
- Hospital pharmacists' mental health during home isolation in the post-pandemic era of COVID-19: influencing factors, coping strategies, and the mediating effect of resilience.Frontiers in public health · 2024Article
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- "The whole sky has broken down on me. I might die alone": A qualitative study on the lived experiences of COVID-19 positive frontline workers in Bangladesh.Frontiers in sociology · 2022Article
- Facing the unknown COVID-19 pandemic: A qualitative study with nurses and nursing assistants in three European countries.Frontiers in public health · 2022Article
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Authors and funding
9 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectiveThe rapid spread of COVID-19 has overwhelmed healthcare systems across the world. During the early stage of the pandemic, frontline healthcare workers (FHWs) caring for patients at intensive care units (ICUs) faced extreme pressure and challenges. This qualitative study aimed to describe the different phases of psychological distress of FHWs during the early stage of the COVID-19 pandemic.
designQualitative study.
settingThe First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, a designated hospital for patients with COVID-19 in central China.
participantsEight physicians and six nurses working in the ICU who provided direct patient care for COVID-19 patients.
methodsA descriptive phenomenological study using thematic analysis was applied. Semi-structured one-on-one interviews over telephone or Wechat (a social platform in China) rather than face-to-face interviews were conducted due to quarantine. Interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim and then were analysed thematically.
findingsA total of 14 interviews were conducted, and each interview lasted 20-60 min. Five thematic categories were identified, and the participants' psychological experiences were classified into five stages (1) the mobilisation period: a sense of responsibility with worries; (2) the preparation period: worries, fears and doubts about the epidemic; (3) the transitional period: complex and diverse psychological feelings; (4) the adaptation period: self-adjustment and help from external support and (5) the reflection period: a reflection on life and nature.
conclusionThe study showed that the COVID-19 pandemic had significant psychological impacts on FHWs. Self-regulation and external support help FHWs to overcome challenges to a certain extent. More attention should be paid to the psychological wellbeing of ICU FHWs in COVID-19-designated hospitals.
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