COVID-19
Sarah Cuschieri; Elizabeth Grech
Abstract
Background: Medical research dynamics are complex, and stressors such as the COVID-19 pandemic make them even more so.Aims: The purpose of this article was to assess the impact of COVID-19 on medical students' willingness to become doctors and their goals. It also investigated how COVID-19 affects ...
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Background: Medical research dynamics are complex, and stressors such as the COVID-19 pandemic make them even more so.Aims: The purpose of this article was to assess the impact of COVID-19 on medical students' willingness to become doctors and their goals. It also investigated how COVID-19 affects students' mental health and well-being.Methods: A literature-based anonymous online survey was created to assess students' future career goals, willingness to become doctors, and various aspects of their mental health. There was descriptive and univariate regression analysis.Results: Males enrolled in medical school at a higher rate than females. After the pandemic, a minority of students changed their initial specialty choice, but there was no statistical significance in their willingness to become a doctor (p =0.45). Only students who had long COVID-19 symptoms showed significant variation in their sleep patterns (p =0.01). Female students had significantly higher anxiety levels than male students, with 11.21% (CI95%:6.34 - 18.74) experiencing severe anxiety.Conclusion: Enrolling in medical school is a deeply personal decision that should not be taken lightly. Workplace conditions should be improved in order to attract the next generation of health-care providers. It is thus recommended that medical schools consider establishing a pre-entry course to inform and expose potential medical students to the working lives of doctors. All medical schools must ensure that mental and psychological support is easily accessible and non-stigmatizing.
COVID-19
Ram Prasad Sharma G; Kalpana Sharma; Niki Shrestha
Abstract
Background: When working in Coronavirus Diseases (COVID-19) wards and ICUs, Health Care Workers (HCWs) face numerous physical and psychosocial challenges. The purpose of this study was to look into the difficulties that HCWs face when caring for COVID-19 patients. Method: A qualitative phenomenological ...
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Background: When working in Coronavirus Diseases (COVID-19) wards and ICUs, Health Care Workers (HCWs) face numerous physical and psychosocial challenges. The purpose of this study was to look into the difficulties that HCWs face when caring for COVID-19 patients. Method: A qualitative phenomenological study was used, and the study sample included 12 HCWs (8 nurses and 4 doctors) who worked specifically with COVID-19 patients. A semi-structured interview guideline was used for data collection, and Giorgi's method was used for analysis. Results: During the pandemic, HCWs faced numerous challenges while caring for COVID-19 patients in a hospital. HCWs faced five major challenges: (i) increased workload and staff shortages, (ii) mental stress, (iii) social stigma and isolation, (iv) resource scarcity, and (v) a lack of specific skill training. Conclusion: While caring for COVID-19 patients during the pandemic, health care workers faced numerous physical, psychological, and social challenges. As a result, these issues must be addressed in order to provide quality care in the hospital.
