In the summer of 2018 - 3 years after South Korea's MERS-CoV epidemic that struck 16 hospitals, infected 186 people, and killed 37 - we looked at a study on Burnout & PTSD Among Nurses Working During A Large MERS-CoV Outbreak - Korea, 2015.
The Epidemiological report, issued in October of 2015 summed up the human carnage:
A total of 186 confirmed patients with MERS-CoV infection across 16 hospitals were identified in the Republic of Korea. Some 44.1% of the cases were patients exposed in hospitals, 32.8% were caregivers, and 13.4% were healthcare personnel.Out of these 186 cases, at least 37 died. But that is far from the full story, for over the 5 month ordeal - which included a surprise relapse of a `cured' patient (see Korean Govt. Statement On MERS Patient `Relapse’ and Isolation), and the quarantining of thousands of people (see Korea Puts More Teeth In Their Quarantine Laws) - there was a severe, and for some, permanent emotional toll as well.
There were obviously personal losses, of family members or friends to the disease, and fears of a larger epidemic were rampant for weeks.But less apparent, and rarely discussed, there was the incredible emotional toll and stress borne by healthcare workers - primarily nurses - who were on the front lines and in direct contact with infectious patients on a daily basis.
The study, published in the International Journal of Healthcare, followed up on a subset of nurses from just one of the hospitals impacted by the MERS-CoV outbreak in Korea, and found at least half of those studied suffered from PTSD as a result of their experiences during the epidemic.
Today's COVID-19 epidemic in South Korea is already hundreds of times larger than their 2015 MERS outbreak, and while it has been going on for only a few weeks, psychological stress is beginning to show among those on the front lines.
Today, in an attempt to head off another burnout crisis among 1st responders, South Korea's CDC announced the following counseling plan:
Corona19 Stress, Psychological Counselor, Korean Psychological Association
Created 2020-03-11
Last modified 2020-03-11
Department Central Defense Headquarters Crisis Communication Team
Contact 043-719-7996
□ The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CEO Eun-kyung Jung), together with the Korea Psychological Association (Chairman Cho Hyun-seop) and the Corona19 Special Measures Committee (Chairman Cul- pil Fil), will provide expert psychological counseling in the form of 'psychological defense' to overcome stress caused by Corona19. It is said that it will be held (free consultation) from Monday.○ Explain that there are more than 10 psychological counseling complaints such as depression and anxiety complaints to the 1339 call center in the epidemic of infections that have been occurring for almost two months after the first confirmation of patients in Korea (1.20.),
○ The Korean Psychological Association (Corona 19 Special Measures Committee) reports that over time, the number of people who need 'care for the heart' may increase. It said it decided to add strength to providing professional psychological counseling.
○ Psychological counseling through the Korean Psychological Association is directed to the 1339 Call Center, and if a complaint is needed that requires psychological counseling, such as stress complaints, the Korean Psychological Association counseling call * will be provided. Can be provided.* Psychological consultation, Korean Psychological Association, 070-5067-2619, 070-5067-2819
□ The chairman of the Korean Psychological Association (Corona 19 Special Measures Committee) said, “To support the overcoming of the Corona 19 crisis, more than 230 professors of psychological counseling and first-level psychological counseling experts voluntarily participated in consultation with the Center for Disease Control. I said, ”
- “These psychological counselings are expected to be available for approximately 48 counseling sessions per day, but if the psychological counseling volume increases, there is a willingness to participate in overcoming corona 19 through line expansion. Is there. ”
- In addition, Chairman Yuk said, “Many people suffer from psychological discomforts such as isolation, alienation, and social disconnection caused by disconnection from neighbors due to social dismissal.”
-Psychological defense campaign to solve this, "1-3 Hello; How are you doing? I am trying to resolve social disconnection by giving three people a day to say hello, video call, or post a healthy SNS. ”□ Jung Eun-kyung, the director of the Central Defense Response Headquarters, said, “We are deeply grateful for the participation of the private sector, such as voluntary psychological counseling support, and encouragement and support from the Korean Psychological Association.”
- “The Center for Disease Control is also planning to carry out the 'keeping the mind' campaign such as caring for each other, supporting each other, and looking at the family, along with the practice of 'social distance' to overcome the Corona 19 crisis.”
□ In addition, the Ministry of Health and Welfare, Corona 19 Integrated Psychological Support Group, is providing professional counseling for mental health management such as stress caused by Corona 19.
○ Confirmation and family members can be consulted by contacting the National Trauma Center (02-2204-0001 ~ 2) or the Yeongnam District Trauma Center (055-270-2777). Can be.First responders, and HCWs on the frontlines, tend to work during a crisis until they drop. While that may work during a short-term event, when you are talking about an epidemic wave that could last for weeks or even months, it is a surefire way to either incapacitate, or at least demoralize, the very troops you depend on the most.1. Corona 19 Severe Code of Conduct
2. Corona 19 Stress Countermeasure Card News
3.Corona 19 Stress Countermeasure Poster
4.Corona 19 Stress Countermeasure Poster
5.Corona19 Stress Coping Poster
During a pandemic, the inevitable attrition of healthcare personnel - either due to illness, stress or PTSD, staying home to care for family members, or simply being unwilling to work in an increasingly dangerous and deteriorating workplace - will almost certainly severely degrade our ability to provide medical care to anyone.And as PPEs become in shorter supply, the number working HCWs - either due to illness, death, burnout, or refusing to work without protection - will begin to drop, putting even more pressure on the ever dwindling workforce.
Staff shortages - along with shortages of everything from PPEs, to IV supplies and meds, to hospital beds (see Supply Chain Of Fools (Revisited)) - will further exacerbate the stress, and the resultant fallout among HCWs.In the epilogue video (below) from last 2018's Johns Hopkins Clade X Tabletop Pandemic Exercise, the butcher's bill read, in part: `. . . 20 months into the pandemic . . . half of all healthcare workers had either died, become disabled, or quit . . .'
As the video explains, collateral damage from the collapse of the healthcare system in this fictional scenario likely killed more people than the actual virus. And without the front line personnel - primarily nurses and techs, but also including housekeeping, food service, and clerical - a hospital cannot function.
What the public, I don't believe, fully grasps is how dire things will become if we allow this to happen during this pandemic. The COVID-19 virus likely has a CFR in the 1%-3% range, and that could kill millions around the world over the next 12 to 18 months.
But if - due to the staff shortages and other pressures on the healthcare system - we are unable to provide adequate emergency care to the millions of others who will need it for heart attacks, strokes, trauma, chemotherapy, kidney dialysis, and a hundred other critical healthcare needs, the collateral damage could be amplified many times over.The battle against COVID-19 - or any other pandemic virus - will be won or lost in hospital wards all around the world. And while there are a lot of potential points of failure (lack of beds or ventilators, lack of IVs or meds, etc.), if we don't have the doctors, nurses, techs, EMTs and their support staff willing and able to work, it's pretty much game over.
