Psychological intervention

Health care

Injury prevention

Human factors and ergonomics

Operating system

Psychiatry

Economics

Computer science

Medical emergency

Occupational safety and health

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)

Systematic review

Poison control

Political science

Infectious disease (medical specialty)

Workload

MEDLINE

Medicine

Economic growth

Pandemic

Stressor

Disease

Pathology

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health

Prevention of post-traumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) in healthcare workers (HCWs) facing the current COVID-19 pandemic is a challenge worldwide as HCWs are likely to experience acute and chronic, often unpredictable, occupational stressors leading to PTSS. This review aims to analyze the literature to discover which topics have been focused on and what the latest developments are in managing the occupational risk of PTSS in HCWs during the current pandemic. For the purpose of this review, we searched for publications in MEDLINE/Pubmed using selected keywords. The articles were reviewed and categorized into one or more of the following categories based on their subject matter: risk assessment, risk management, occurrence rates. A total of 16 publications matched our inclusion criteria. The topics discussed were: “Risk Assessment”, “Occurrence Rates”, and “Risk Management”. Young age, low work experience, female gender, heavy workload, working in unsafe settings, and lack of training and social support were found to be predictors of PTSS. This review’s findings showed the need for urgent interventions aimed at protecting HCWs from the psychological impact of traumatic events related to the pandemic and leading to PTSS; healthcare policies need to consider preventive and management strategies toward PTSS, and the related psychic sequelae, in HCWs.

Post-Traumatic Stress Symptoms in Healthcare Workers Dealing with the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Systematic Review