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Review
. 2021 Nov 27;10(23):5578.
doi: 10.3390/jcm10235578.

Psychological Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Out-of-Hospital Health Professionals: A Living Systematic Review

Raúl Soto-Cámara  1   2 , Noemí García-Santa-Basilia  2 , Henar Onrubia-Baticón  2 , Rosa M Cárdaba-García  2   3 , José Julio Jiménez-Alegre  4 , Ana María Reques-Marugán  2 , María Molina-Oliva  2 , Juan José Fernández-Domínguez  4 , María Paz Matellán-Hernández  2 , Almudena Morales-Sanchez  2 , Susana Navalpotro-Pascual  4
Affiliations
Review

Psychological Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Out-of-Hospital Health Professionals: A Living Systematic Review

Raúl Soto-Cámara et al. J Clin Med. .

Abstract

Health professionals (HPs), especially those working in the front line, have been one of the groups most affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. The objective of this study is to identify the best available scientific evidence on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health of out-of-hospital HPs in terms of stress, anxiety, depression, and self-efficacy. A living systematic review of the literature was designed, consulting the electronic online versions of the CINHAL, Cochrane Library, Cuiden, IBECS, JBI, LILACS, Medline PyscoDoc, PsycoINFO, Scopus, and Web of Science databases in November 2021. Original research was selected, published in either English, Spanish, French, Italian, or Portuguese. In total, 2082 publications were identified, of which 16 were included in this review. The mental health of out-of-hospital HPs was affected. Being a woman or having direct contact with patients showing suspicious signs of COVID-19 or confirmed cases were the factors related to a greater risk of developing high levels of stress and anxiety; in the case of depressive symptoms, it was having a clinical history of illnesses that could weaken their defenses against infection. Stopping unpleasant emotions and thoughts was the coping strategy most frequently used by these HPs.

Keywords: COVID-19; anxiety; depression; health professionals; mental health; out-of-hospital; pandemic; self-efficacy; stress.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest. The funders had no role in the design of the study; in the collection, analyses, or interpretation of data; in the writing of the manuscript, or in the decision to publish the results.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Diagram of the main repercussions of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Diagram illustrating the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the healthcare system and mental health of front-line HPs.
Figure 3
Figure 3
PRISMA 2020 flow diagram for the study selection process, which included searches of databases, registers, and other sources.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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