J Korean Neuropsychiatr Assoc.  2017 Feb;56(1):28-34. 10.4306/jknpa.2017.56.1.28.

Psychological Effects on Medical Doctors from the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) Outbreak : A Comparison of Whether They Worked at the MERS Occurred Hospital or Not, and Whether They Participated in MERS Diagnosis and Treatment

• Um DH
• Kim JS
• Lee HW
• Lee SH

• KMID: 2379376
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.4306/jknpa.2017.56.1.28

Abstract

OBJECTIVES
The purpose of this study was to evaluate psychological effects of an outbreak of Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS), a newly emerged infectious disease, on doctors.
METHODS
After the MERS outbreak was over, we conducted an online survey of doctors who worked at the hospitals in which exposure to MERS cases had been confirmed or who were directly involved in MERS diagnosis and treatment. The Patient Health Questionnaires-9 (PHQ-9) and the Impact of Event Scale-Revised (IES-R) assessment methods were used to assess the severity of depressive and posttraumatic stress symptoms among the 64 doctors participating in the survey.
RESULTS
The results of the survey indicate that 26.6% (n=17) of participants exhibited depressive symptoms and 7.8% (n=5) had post-traumatic stress symptoms. The doctors employed at hospitals with MERS cases had higher PHQ-9 and IES-R mean scores than those in doctors were not so employed. In contrast, there was no significant difference in those test scores between doctors who participated directly in MERS diagnosis and treatment and those doctors who did not.
CONCLUSION
The survey demonstrated that 28.1% (n=18) of doctors involved in MERS care suffered from depressive or posttraumatic stress symptoms, even though the MERS infection was being controlled. Working at a hospital with MERS cases was the primary determinant of the adverse psychological outcomes among doctors ; however, direct participation in the diagnosis and care of MERS patients was not significantly related to such outcomes.

Keyword

Middle East respiratory syndrome; Emerging Infectious Disease; Heathcare worker; Depressive symptoms; Posttraumatic stress symptoms

MeSH Terms

Communicable Diseases
Communicable Diseases, Emerging
Coronavirus Infections*
Depression
Diagnosis*
Humans
Middle East*

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