Evidence map›Paper›PMID 35277241›Full record

ArticleAmerican journal of surgery2022

COVID-19 induced PTSD: Stressors for trauma and acute care surgeons.

Melissa K James, R Jonathan Robitsek, Katherine McKenzie, Julie Y Valenzuela, Thomas J Esposito

Open access · greenAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in American journal of surgery, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
6citing papers in PubMed, 2 pooled it
0.9field-weighted citation impact, top 24% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

6 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 10 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Prevalence of posttraumatic stress symptoms among physicians - A meta-analysis.European psychiatry : the journal of the Association of European Psychiatrists · 2025
    Pooled it
  3. Article
  4. Review
  5. Article
  6. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.

Melissa K JamesDepartment of Surgery, Jamaica Hospital Medical Center, Jamaica, NY, USA. Electronic address: mjames3@jhmc.org.
R Jonathan RobitsekDepartment of Surgery, Jamaica Hospital Medical Center, Jamaica, NY, USA. Electronic address: jrobitse@jhmc.org.
Katherine McKenzieDepartment of Surgery, Jamaica Hospital Medical Center, Jamaica, NY, USA. Electronic address: kmckenzi.flushing@jhmc.org.
Julie Y ValenzuelaDepartment of Surgery, Jamaica Hospital Medical Center, Jamaica, NY, USA. Electronic address: jvalenzu@jhmc.org.
Thomas J EspositoDepartment of Medicine, University of Illinois College of Medicine, Peoria, IL, USA. Electronic address: tesposi@gmail.com.
Jamaica Hospital · USIllinois College · US

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundAt the peak of the pandemic, acute care surgeons at many hospitals were reassigned to treat COVID-19 patients. However, the effect of the pandemic on this population who are well versed in stressful practice has not been fully explored.

methodsA web-based survey was distributed to the members of the Eastern Association for the Surgery of Trauma (EAST). PTSD and the personal and professional impact of the pandemic were assessed. A positive screen was defined as a severity score of ≥14 or a symptomatic response to at least 5 of the 6 questions on the screen.

resultsA total of 393 (17.8%) participants responded to the survey. The median age was 43 (IQR: 38-52) and 238 (60.6%) were male. The majority of participants were surgeons (351, 89.3%), specializing in general surgery/trauma (379, 96.4%). The main practice type and setting were hospital-based (350, 89%) and university hospital (238, 60.6%), respectively. The incidence of PTSD was 16.3% when a threshold severity score of ≥14 was used and 5.6% when symptomatic responses were assessed. Risk factors for a positive PTSD screen included being single/unmarried (p = 0.02), having others close to you contract COVID-19 (p = 0.02), having family issues due to COVID-19 (p = 0.0004), rural (p = 0.005) and suburban (p = 0.047) practice settings, a fear of going to work (p = 0.001), and not having mental health resources provided at work (p = 0.03).

conclusionThe COVID-19 pandemic had a psychological impact on surgeons. Although acute care surgeons are well versed in stressful practice, the pandemic nevertheless induced PTSD symptoms in this population, suggesting the need for mental health resources.

Indexed as

COVID-19Stress Disorders, Post-TraumaticSurgeonsAdultFemaleHospitals, UniversityHumansMaleMidazolamPandemicsMidazolamAcute care surgeonsCOVID-19PTSDStressSurgeonsSurgery

Identifiers

PMID35277241
PMCPMC8896861
OpenAlexW4221092016

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.