Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2023 May;42(5):1118-1136.
doi: 10.1177/07334648221146252. Epub 2022 Dec 21.

Experiences of Healthcare Workers in Long-Term Care during COVID-19: A Scoping Review

Sheila A Boamah  1 , Rachel Weldrick  2 , Farinaz Havaei  3 , Ahmed Irshad  4 , Amy Hutchinson  4
Affiliations

Experiences of Healthcare Workers in Long-Term Care during COVID-19: A Scoping Review

Sheila A Boamah et al. J Appl Gerontol. 2023 May.

Abstract

Background: Although healthcare workers (HCWs) in long-term care (LTC) have experienced significant emotional and psychological distress throughout the pandemic, little is known about their unique experiences. Objective: This scoping review synthesizes existing research on the experiences of HCWs in LTC during the COVID-19 pandemic. Method: Following Arksey and O'Malley's framework, data published between March 2020 to June 2022, were extracted from six databases. Results: Among 3808 articles screened, 40 articles were included in the final analysis. Analyses revealed three interrelated themes: carrying the load (moral distress); building pressure and burning out (emotional exhaustion); and working through it (a sense of duty to care). Conclusion: Given the impacts of the pandemic on both HCW wellbeing and patient care, every effort must be made to address the LTC workforce crisis and evaluate best practices for supporting HCWs experiencing mental health concerns during and post-COVID-19.

Keywords: COVID-19; healthcare workers; long-term care; mental health; moral distress; older adults.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
PRISMA flow diagram of literature search and screen process (Page et al., 2021). Note. PRISMA = Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Al Maqbali M., Al Sinani M., Al-Lenjawi B. (2021). Prevalence of stress, depression, anxiety and sleep disturbance among nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 141, Article 110343. 10.1016/j.jpsychores.2020.110343 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Applegate W. B., Ouslander J. G. (2020). COVID-19 presents high risk to older persons. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 68681(4), 681. https://doi:10.1111/jgs.16426 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Arksey, O’Malley L. (2005). Scoping studies: Towards a methodological framework. International Journal of Social Research Methodology, 8(1), 19–32. 10.1080/1364557032000119616 - DOI
    1. Baskin R. G., Bartlett R. (2021). Healthcare worker resilience during the COVID-19 pandemic: An integrative review. Journal of Nursing Management, 29(8), 2329–2342. 10.1111/jonm.13395 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Bilal A., Saeed M. A., Yousafzai T. (2020). Elderly care in the time of coronavirus: Perceptions and experiences of care home staff in Pakistan. International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 35(12), 1442–1448. 10.1002/gps.5386 - DOI - PMC - PubMed

Publication types

Grants and funding