GP wellbeing during the COVID-19 pandemic: a systematic review

The British journal of general practice: the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners

article

Laura Jefferson¹  Su Golder¹  Claire Heathcote¹  Ana Castro Avila¹  Veronica Dale¹  Holly Essex¹  Christina van der Feltz Cornelis¹  Elizabeth McHugh¹  Thirimon Moe-Byrne¹  Karen Bloor¹ 

[1] Department of Health Sciences, University of York

关键词: coronavirus;    COVID-19;    general practice;    mental health;    systematic review;    wellbeing;   

DOI  :  10.3399/BJGP.2021.0680

学科分类：卫生学

来源: Royal College of General Practitioners

【 摘 要 】

Background Doctors’ organisations in the UK have reported worrying levels of work-related stress and burnout in the GP workforce for some time, and the COVID-19 pandemic has presented clear new challenges.Aim To synthesise international evidence exploring the impact of COVID-19 on primary care doctors’ mental health and wellbeing, and identify risk factors associated with their psychological wellbeing during this time.Design and setting Mixed-methods systematic review.Method Six bibliographic databases, Google Scholar, and MedRxiv were searched on 19 November 2020 and 3 June 2021 to identify studies of GP psychological wellbeing during the pandemic. Reference checking was also conducted. Two reviewers selected studies, extracted data, and assessed the quality of studies using standardised tools. Heterogeneity in outcomes, setting, and design prohibited statistical pooling; studies were combined using a convergent integrated thematic synthesis.Results Thirty-one studies were included. Multiple sources of stress were identified including changed working practices; risk, exposure, and inadequate personal protective equipment (PPE); information overload; pandemic preparedness; and cohesion across sectors. Studies demonstrated an impact on psychological wellbeing, with some GPs experiencing stress, burnout, anxiety, depression, fear of COVID-19, lower job satisfaction, and physical symptoms. Studies reported gender and age differences: women GPs had poorer psychological outcomes across all domains, and older GPs reported greater stress and burnout. Use of outcome measures and reporting practice varied greatly.Conclusion This review of international evidence demonstrates that the COVID-19 pandemic has adversely affected GPs’ wellbeing around the world. Further research could explore gender and age differences, identifying interventions targeted to these groups.

【 授权许可】

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