Psychosocial effects of SARS on hospital staff: survey of a large tertiary care institution

BackgroundThe outbreak of SARS in 2003 had a dramatic effect on the health care system in Toronto. The main objective of this study was to investigate the psychosocial effects associated with working in a hospital environment during this outbreak.MethodsQuestionnaires were distributed to all willing employees of Sunnybrook and Women''s College Health Sciences Centre between Apr. 10 and 22, 2003. The survey included questions regarding concern about SARS, precautionary measures, personal well-being and sociodemographic characteristics; a subsample also received the 12-item version of the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12).ResultsOf the 4283 questionnaires distributed, 2001 (47%) were returned, representing 27% of the total hospital employee population of 7474. The proportions of respondents who were allied health care professionals, nurses and doctors and who worked in areas other than patient care were representative of the hospital staff population as a whole. Of the 2001 questionnaires, 510 contained the GHQ-12. Two-thirds of the respondents reported SARS-related concern for their own or their family''s health. A total of 148 respondents (29%) scored above the threshold point on the GHQ-12, indicating probable emotional distress; the rate among nurses was 45%. Masks were reported to be the most bothersome infection control precaution. Logistic regression analysis identified 4 factors as being significantly associated with increased levels of concern for personal or family health: perception of a greater risk of death from SARS (adjusted odds ratio [OR] 5.0, 95% confidence interval [CI] 2.6–9.6), living with children (adjusted OR 1.8, 95% CI 1.5–2.3), personal or family lifestyle affected by SARS outbreak (adjusted OR 3.3, 95% CI 2.5–4.3) and being treated differently by people because of working in a hospital (adjusted OR 1.6, 95% CI 1.2–2.1). Four factors were identified as being significantly associated with the presence of emotional distress: being a nurse (adjusted OR 2.8, 95% CI 1.5–5.5), part-time employment status (adjusted OR 2.6, 95% CI 1.2–5.4), lifestyle affected by SARS outbreak (adjusted OR 2.2, 95% CI 1.4–3.5) and ability to do one''s job affected by the precautionary measures (adjusted OR 2.9, 95% CI 1.9–4.6).InterpretationOur findings indicate that the SARS outbreak had significant psychosocial effects on hospital staff. These effects differed with respect to occupation and risk perception. The effect on families and lifestyle was also substantial. These findings highlight the need for interventions to address psychosocial distress and concern and to provide support for employees during such crises.During the spring of 2003, Toronto was in the midst of the first of 2 phases of a SARS outbreak. As the principal tertiary referral hospital, Sunnybrook and Women''s College Health Sciences Centre (SWC) admitted 71 patients with SARS, of whom 23 were health care workers, between Mar. 14 and May 24. Over 1000 patients were seen at the SWC SARS assessment clinic.The effect of SARS on the health care system in the greater Toronto area was dramatic.^1,2,3,4,5,6 At various times during the outbreak, 3 hospitals were closed. Health care workers were at increased risk and many were quarantined, which resulted in severe staff shortages. On Mar. 28, following the closure of a second hospital, new and intensive infection control directives were issued for all hospitals in the greater Toronto area and surrounding area. At SWC the directives included cancellation of all hospital-based outpatient clinics, significant visitor restrictions, mandatory wearing of surgical masks by all staff at all times (and N95 masks in patient care areas), limited hospital entrance and mandatory screening of everyone entering the building (symptom/exposure questionnaire and temperature reading). Health care workers were instructed to work at 1 health care institution only, and off-work contact between health care workers from different institutions was discouraged. The SWC SARS Management Team met daily to implement Ministry of Health directives, organize care of patients with and without SARS and deal with staffing issues. With clinic and operating room closures and quarantined staff, staff redeployment to screening at entrances and other essential services became necessary. After Apr. 17, staff not involved in patient care no longer had to wear masks; however, most of the other infection control directives were kept in place well into the summer months.Little is known about the psychological effects of this type of disease outbreak on health care and other hospital workers. Maunder and colleagues¹ described the experiences of a small number of patients and staff at a Toronto hospital during the initial SARS outbreak. They observed that the staff were fearful for their own and their family''s health and found caring for colleagues as patients emotionally difficult. Mitchell and associates⁷ reported increased feelings of stigmatization among nurses during an outbreak of vancomycin-resistant enterococci in a hospital in Australia; feelings of alienation and isolation were also noted. A literature review revealed no large, systematic studies of the effect of a disease outbreak on hospital staff, particularly in cases with a high risk of nosocomial spread, as is the case with SARS.^2,4,8,9,10The main objectives of this study were (a) to determine the self-reported psychosocial effects associated with working in a hospital environment during the peak of a disease outbreak, specifically psychological distress and effects on the work and personal lives of employees, and (b) to examine the determinants of these effects.