TY - JOUR T1 - The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health of healthcare workers: study protocol for the COVID-19 HEalth caRe wOrkErS (HEROES) study JF - Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology Y1 - 2022 A1 - Franco Mascayano A1 - Els van der Ven A1 - Maria Francesca Moro A1 - Sara Schilling A1 - Sebastián Alarcón A1 - Josleen Al Barathie A1 - Lubna Alnasser A1 - Asaoka, Hiroki A1 - Olatunde Ayinde A1 - Arin A. Balalian A1 - Armando Basagoitia A1 - Kirsty Brittain A1 - Bruce Dohrenwend A1 - Sol Durand-Arias A1 - Mehmet Eskin A1 - Eduardo Fernández-Jiménez A1 - Marcela Inés Freytes Frey A1 - Luis Giménez A1 - Lydia Gisle A1 - Hans W. Hoek A1 - Rodrigo Ezequiel Jaldo A1 - Jutta Lindert A1 - Humberto Maldonado A1 - Gonzalo Martínez-Alés A1 - Carmen Martínez-Viciana A1 - Roberto Mediavilla A1 - Clare McCormack A1 - Landon Myer A1 - Javier Narvaez A1 - Nishi, Daisuke A1 - Uta Ouali A1 - Victor Puac-Polanco A1 - Jorge Ramírez A1 - Alexandra Restrepo-Henao A1 - Eliut Rivera-Segarra A1 - Ana M. Rodríguez A1 - Dahlia Saab A1 - Dominika Seblova A1 - Andrea Tenorio Correia da Silva A1 - Linda Valeri A1 - Rubén Alvarado A1 - Ezra Susser AB -

Background Preliminary country-specific reports suggest that the COVID-19 pandemic has a negative impact on the mental health of the healthcare workforce. In this paper, we summarize the protocol of the COVID-19 HEalth caRe wOrkErS (HEROES) study, an ongoing, global initiative, aimed to describe and track longitudinal trajectories of mental health symptoms and disorders among health care workers at different phases of the pandemic across a wide range of countries in Latin America, Europe, Africa, Middle-East, and Asia.

Methods Participants from various settings, including primary care clinics, hospitals, nursing homes, and mental health facilities, are being enrolled. In 26 countries, we are using a similar study design with harmonized measures to capture data on COVID-19 related exposures and variables of interest during two years of follow-up. Exposures include potential stressors related to working in healthcare during the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as sociodemographic and clinical factors. Primary outcomes of interest include mental health variables such as psychological distress, depressive symptoms, and posttraumatic stress disorders. Other domains of interest include potentially mediating or moderating influences such as workplace conditions, trust in the government, and the country’s income level.

Results As of August 2021, ~ 34,000 health workers have been recruited. A general characterization of the recruited samples by sociodemographic and workplace variables is presented. Most participating countries have identified several health facilities where they can identify denominators and attain acceptable response rates. Of the 26 countries, 22 are collecting data and 2 plan to start shortly.

Conclusions This is one of the most extensive global studies on the mental health of healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic, including a variety of countries with diverse economic realities and different levels of severity of pandemic and management. Moreover, unlike most previous studies, we included workers (clinical and non-clinical staff) in a wide range of settings.

M3 - 10.1007/s00127-021-02211-9 ER -