The Covid-19 pandemic has had a major impact on the mental health of Dublin hospital staff, with high levels of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression symptoms reported, a new study has found.

The COWORKER study investigated the impact of the pandemic on the mental health of general hospital staff in Dublin. It involved researchers from Trinity College Dublin (TCD), St Patrick’s Mental Health Services and RCSI University of Medicine and Health Services.

Staff in three large general Dublin hospitals - St James’s Hospital, Tallaght University Hospital and Beaumont Hospital - were invited to participate, with the study also aiming to provide an opportunity for doctors, nurses and radiographers to recognise if they have been experiencing mental health difficulties since the pandemic and to seek support if required.

A total of 377 healthcare staff in Dublin took part during the third wave of the pandemic in early 2021. The study found that 45% of respondents reported moderate or severe symptoms of PTSD, while 52% reported low mood.

The researchers noted that the high levels of PTSD symptoms found here are higher than the current best international estimate for healthcare workers.

Furthermore, the study also found that 13% of respondents had thought about ending their own lives over the previous week, while 5% had planned to end their lives.

According to the study’s lead author, Dr Conan Brady of TCD, there is little data on suicidal ideation in hospital staff internationally therefore this warrants further investigation.

Meanwhile, staff also reported high levels of moral injury, which is the psychological distress experienced when one is forced to witness or perform acts that go against one’s ethical beliefs. This concept first arose in military mental health research but has gained importance in research into healthcare workers’ mental health due to Covid-related scenarios.

For example, healthcare workers may have had no option but to ration care when resources were scarce, or they may have had to stop family from visiting loved ones due to restrictions. 

The study also looked at whether there were any differences in the levels of mental health difficulties experienced by staff based on their roles. The findings show that doctors were significantly less likely to report symptoms of PTSD, low mood and moral injury than nurse or radiographers, while radiographers were significantly more likely to report low mood.

Speaking about the impact of the findings, lead researcher and consultant psychiatrist, Prof Declan McLoughlin, emphasised that the pandemic has presented “immense challenges for hospitals, their staff, patients and families”.

“While there have been many studies internationally examining the psychological impact on hospital staff, this is the first to examine the impacts on those working in Dublin hospitals.

“We hope that the study’s findings will highlight potential areas of concern for hospital management and staff so that they can address this and seek support as required,” he said.

The study is published in the Irish Journal of Medical Science and can be viewed here.