TY - JOUR
T1 - Psychological impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on young professionals in blood banks and transfusion services
T2 - A global cross-sectional survey
AU - the ISBT Young Professional Council
AU - Al-Riyami, Arwa Z.
AU - Masser, Barbara
AU - Herczenik, Eszter
AU - Arora, Satyam
AU - Boateng, Lilian Antwi
AU - Dinardo, Carla Luana
AU - Hutchinson, Tyler
AU - Ji, Yanli
AU - Langi Sasongko, Syeldy
AU - Tung, John Paul
AU - Panchatcharam, Sathiya Murthi
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2022 International Society of Blood Transfusion.
PY - 2022
Y1 - 2022
N2 - Background and Objectives: The COVID-19 pandemic brought about changes to daily life as measures to contain the spread of the virus increased across the world. The aim of this survey was to assess the psychological impact of the pandemic on young professionals (YPs) in transfusion medicine. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional web-based survey was distributed electronically to ISBT members inviting YPs (≤40 years) to participate. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS software. Results: Two hundred and fifty-nine YPs completed the survey, including 107 clinicians/physicians and/or nurses. Almost half of the YPs (52.5%) indicated increased stress levels and 15.4% indicated symptoms of depression. YPs highlighted the loss of social engagement (59.1%) and increased pressure from information seen on media (35.5%) as factors negatively impacting their psychological wellbeing. Further, 20.8% expressed increased economic stress resulting from concerns about job security. Almost half of the YPs indicated that their organization provided moderate/occasional holistic support to them and their families. Sixty percent and 74.4% of YPs reported increased workload and staff absence due to COVID-19 infection, respectively. Only half of clinicians/physicians and/or nurses indicated that they often had sufficient personal protective equipment. The majority of these (76.6%) had family/household members living with them, and 61% indicated that they were significantly worried about infecting them because of the nature of their work. Conclusion: COVID-19 had a major impact on the well-being of YPs working in transfusion medicine. Measures are required to ensure that YPs are protected and mentally supported while undertaking their duties in current and future pandemics.
AB - Background and Objectives: The COVID-19 pandemic brought about changes to daily life as measures to contain the spread of the virus increased across the world. The aim of this survey was to assess the psychological impact of the pandemic on young professionals (YPs) in transfusion medicine. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional web-based survey was distributed electronically to ISBT members inviting YPs (≤40 years) to participate. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS software. Results: Two hundred and fifty-nine YPs completed the survey, including 107 clinicians/physicians and/or nurses. Almost half of the YPs (52.5%) indicated increased stress levels and 15.4% indicated symptoms of depression. YPs highlighted the loss of social engagement (59.1%) and increased pressure from information seen on media (35.5%) as factors negatively impacting their psychological wellbeing. Further, 20.8% expressed increased economic stress resulting from concerns about job security. Almost half of the YPs indicated that their organization provided moderate/occasional holistic support to them and their families. Sixty percent and 74.4% of YPs reported increased workload and staff absence due to COVID-19 infection, respectively. Only half of clinicians/physicians and/or nurses indicated that they often had sufficient personal protective equipment. The majority of these (76.6%) had family/household members living with them, and 61% indicated that they were significantly worried about infecting them because of the nature of their work. Conclusion: COVID-19 had a major impact on the well-being of YPs working in transfusion medicine. Measures are required to ensure that YPs are protected and mentally supported while undertaking their duties in current and future pandemics.
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U2 - 10.1111/vox.13236
DO - 10.1111/vox.13236
M3 - Article
C2 - 35023178
AN - SCOPUS:85122805947
JO - Vox Sanguinis
JF - Vox Sanguinis
SN - 0042-9007
ER -