| NEWS RELEASE: | |
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SARS WAS TRAUMATIC FOR HOSPITAL WORKERS | |
| Contact: William Lancee, PhD Phone: 416-586-4567 Email: william.lancee@utoronto.ca Embargoed until: March 5, 2004 |
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Orlando, FL - One out of three hospital workers experienced extreme distress when SARS hit Toronto in the Spring of 2003. The deadly disease had a high rate of infection among healthcare workers. Nurses who were responsible for SARS patients were especially affected. Distress among healthcare workers was made worse by widespread fear in the community fuelled by intense media coverage. That is the finding of a study on the acute psychological impact of the SARS outbreak on hospital workers, presented by Dr. William Lancee from Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto, Canada at the American Psychosomatic Society Annual Meeting in Orlando, FL, on March 5th. The outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) created system-wide stress upon healthcare workers in the Toronto region. At the beginning, the cause of the disease was yet unknown. Nor was it known how it was passed on from one person to another. But people were dying, including hospital workers. Extraordinary infection control precautions were put in place. At various times, hospital visits by family and friends were highly restricted. Only essential staff could come to work. Everyone in the Toronto Hospitals had to wear a mask. In this survey, 1557 hospital personnel at 3 Toronto hospitals completed a questionnaire. The questionnaire was designed by investigators in Singapore for use in several SARS-affected countries. Participants were asked about exposure to SARS patients, having children, perceived social rejection, belief in effectiveness of infection protocols and equipment, job stress, and coping style. Hospital workers who were responsible for care of SARS patients were most distressed. Those workers who had children or lived with families were worried that they would bring SARS home. Other things that contributed to distress were changes in responsibilities at work and other job-related stressors. The survey showed that the normally supportive benefits of social relationships were disrupted by SARS and failed to buffer the traumatic impact of the outbreak. | |
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Psychosomatic Medicine is the official peer-reviewed journal of the American Psychosomatic Society, published bimonthly. For information about the journal, contact Vicki White, Managing Editor for Manuscript Production,
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