Negative impacts of COVID-19 on mental health of healthcare workers: A systematic review

This systematic review explores the negative impacts of COVID-19 on the mental health of healthcare workers. It covers studies on nurses, doctors, and critical care staff from various countries. The review highlights the psychological burden, anxiety, depression, burnout, and fear experienced by healthcare workers during the pandemic.

Author/year Title/
Research
Question
Populatio
n
Stud
y
Desi
gn
Level
of
Eviden
ce
Key Findings
What are the key points?
Group key points together;
use colour coding; What new
knowledge have you gained
from reading this?
Was qualitative or
quantitative or mixed
methods used?
Conclusion &
implications What do these
key points mean?
Are the key points relevant to
your chosen topic?
Do they answer your question?
What is the overall significant
finding? Are there any
recommendations you can draw
from this paper?
Limitations of the
study Group similar
limitations together
How do the limitations affect the key
points? Do they hinder you from
answering the question?
Erquicia
et.al. (2022)
Negative
impact
over the
psychologic
al well-
being of
healthcare
workers
due to
COVID-19.
Nurses,
healthcare
worker
Primary Systematic
review
Nurses have faced the drastic mental
impacts that has affected their well-
being due to COVID.
COVID has been proven drastic for
healthcare workers.
Negative impacts has not been explained up-to
detailed extent.
Ezzat et.al
(2021)
The global
mental health
burden of
COVID-19
on critical
care staff’,
Nurses,
healthcare
worker,
doctors,
Secondar
y
Cross-
sectional
study
High anxiety has been faced by global
healthcare staff.
COVID has leads to creation of anxiety in
healthcare staff that impacted the well-being.
Focus has not been made over each group of
healthcare staff.
Fernandez
et.al (2020)
A systematic
review of
nurses’
experiences
of working
Nurses Secondar
y
Systematic
review
Female nurses has mainly faced the
pressure over their mental health.
Excessive workload over female nurses and
home responsibilities has impacted their
lives.
The focus has not been maintained over selected
population.

in acute care
hospital
settings
during a
respiratory
pandemic.
Froessl and
Abdeen,
(2021)
The Silent
Pandemic:
The
Psychologica
l Burden on
Frontline
Healthcare
Workers
during
COVID-19’,
Frontline
healthcare
workers
Primary
and
secondar
y
Meta
analysis.
Pandemic has not just creates the
impact over physical health it has
disturbed the mental health as well.
The mental well-being of the Frontline
healthcare worker has impacted the physical
health as well.
Research methodologies are not mentioned in
appropriate manner.
Giorgi et.al
(2020)
COVID-19-
Related
Mental
Health
Effects in the
Workplace:
A Narrative
Review.
Nurses Secondar
y
Narrative
review
Work pressure and the fear of getting
infected has created the mental health
issues over nurses
The quality of work is often impacted due to
mental health issues of nurses
Types of mental health issues are not described.

Gilleen et.al
(2021)
Impact of the
COVID-19
pandemic on
the mental
health and
well-being of
UK
healthcare
workers
Healthcare
workers
Secondar
y
Systematic
review
In UK, pandemic has creates pressure
over healthcare workers.
The pressure that has been created over
healthcare lead to impact their personal and
professional quality.
Appropriate ways in which impacts has been
made are not determined.
Gregory et.al
(2018)
The
psychosocial
impact on
frontline
nurses of
caring for
patients with
COVID-19
during the
first wave of
the pandemic
Nurses Secondar
y
Meta
analysis
Psychological impacts has been
created over the front-line healthcare
workers at the time of COVID.
The psychological impact are impacting the
lives of healthcare workers and creating
pressure over them.
Types of psychological impacts are not
explained in well-detailed manner.
Griffin et.al
(2020)
Hospital
Preparedness
for COVID-
19: A
Practical
Guide from a
Critical Care
Perspective’
Healthcare
staff
Primary Cross-
sectional
Hospital administration has ignored
the mental needs of healthcare workers
at the time of COVID.
It is the duty of hospital administration that
they must focus over the mental health needs
of healthcare workers.
Effective evidence in this context has not been
revealed.
HennepiTh
en et.al,
(2021)
Socio-
ecological
predictors of
mental health
outcomes
Healthcare
workers
Primary Meta-
analysis
Healthcare workers have experienced
the negative feelings at the time of
pandemic in context of mental health
issues.
Mental health of healthcare worker must
assure a keen focus as they treats the patient
therefore, it is important that their mental
health must be focused.
Approached through which mental health can be
focused has not been mentioned in detailed
manner.

among
healthcare
workers
during the
COVID-19
pandemic
Hendrickso
n et.al
(2022)
The Impact
of the
COVID-19
Pandemic on
Mental
Health,
Occupational
Functioning,
and
Professional
Retention
Among
Health Care
Workers and
First
Responders
Healthcare
professionals
Primary Cross-
sectional
study
Lack of appreciation at the time of
COVID towards healthcare workers
have reduced their self-confidence.
The healthcare workers deserves the
appreciation for hard work that has been
performed at the time of COVID.
The title has not been expand in well-detailed
manner.
Huang et.al
(2021)
Resilience of
frontline
nurses during
the COVID
pandemic in
China
Nurses Primary Qualitative
study
Night shift by the nurses at the time of
COVID has leads to create stress for
them.
Increasing extent of work pressure at the
time of COVID has developed stress for
nurses.
Qualitative study does not interpreted with the
appropriate themes.
Hu et.al
(2020)
Frontline
nurses’
burnout,
anxiety,
depression,
Nurses Primary Cross
sectional
study
At the time of COVID higher extent of
depression, anxiety and fear has been
witnessed in the nurses that has leads
to create the long-term well-being
issues for them.
Depression, anxiety and fear in the nurses
has reduced their self-esteem while
providing the treatment and impacted their
morale as well.
There is no wide-description has been done.

and fear
statuses and
their
associated
factors
during the
COVID-19
outbreak
Hwang et.al
(2020)
‘Loneliness
and social
isolation
during the
COVID-19
pandemic’,
International
Psychogeriat
rics,
Healthcare
professionals,
nurses,
doctors
Secondar
y
Mixed
method
The isolation of the patient who are
impacted from pandemic has creates
the issue regarding the fear of getting
infected in healthcare workers.
Fear in healthcare workers has caused the
greater extent of depression in them.
Future prevention strategies has not been
mentioned in this regards.
KANTOR
and
KANTOR,
(2020
. ‘Mental
Health
Outcomes
and
Associations
During the
COVID-19
Pandemic:
Healthcare
workers
Primary Cross-
sectional
study
The mental health outcomes have
shown the negative aspects in
healthcare workers at the time of
pandemic.
The negative impact over the mental health
of the healthcare workers has disturbed the
quality in the services that has been provided
by them at the time of COVID.
Limited information in regards to the mental
health impacts at the time of pandemic.

Khanal et.al
(2020)
Mental
health
impacts
among health
workers
during
COVID-19
in a low
resource
setting
Healthcare
workers
Secondar
y
Cross-
sectional
survey
There was lack of resource allocation
at the time of COVID for the treatment
of patient and in such situation the
pressure over healthcare workers has
been created on a high note. Thus, the
situation become highly critical as
there was no resource allocation for
treatment and cases was increasing on
higher note.
The critical situation has created the pressure
over the healthcare workers in which they
were not able to deal with situation and their
mental health got impacted.
The title has not met the criteria of research
study in well-detailed manner.