During the COVID-19 pandemic, frontline, Emergency Department (ED) clinical and non-clinical healthcare workers (HCW) were vulnerable to psychological distress, especially in Brooklyn, New York, a COVID-19 epicenter during Spring 2020.

Methods:

An email-distributed survey of ED HCW at Maimonides Medical Center was conducted September 8-December 31, 2020, with reference period March-May 2020. The outcome, 10-item Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K10) measured anxiety and depression. K10 items were summed, with total K10 score of 10-50. HCW status was considered clinical vs non-clinical; and MD/DO, nurses, ED technicians, vs non-clinical. Covariates included gender, age, race, SARS-CoV-2 testing (yes/no) and status (positive/negative), social support, COVID-related home problems, mental health care disruption during COVID-19 (yes/no), Loneliness Brief Survey (LBF) score, and survey date. Independent-samples t-tests, chi-square tests, and general linear regression analyses were used.

Results:

The 215 respondents were 47.8% female, 56.8% White, 38.58±10.91 years old on average, and 86.6% clinical HCW. K10 score was higher among clinical vs non-clinical HCW (18.4±8.8 vs 13.7±4.1, p<0.0001). Clinically-relevant psychological distress (K10 score>20) was observed among 35.8% clinical vs 13.8% non-clinical HCW (p=0.019). Lower K10 score was observed among males (β=-1.98, p=0.043) and those with social support >=4 people (β=3.67, p=0.018). Higher K10 score was associated with higher LBF score (β=2.20, p <0.0001) and mental health care interruption (β=3.45, p=0.036).

Conclusion:

Over one-third of clinical HCW experienced clinically-relevant psychological distress during COVID-19. Longitudinal studies are needed to understand temporal associations between mental health outcomes and associated factors to plan effective interventions in this vulnerable group.