The Impact of the Covid-19 Pandemic on Non-Medical Workers Constantly Interacting with Patients

Abstract

As medical staff, orderlies are at danger of showing negative signs of psychological health. They are exposed to many stresses that may have a negative impact on their personal lives, and they have also been subjected to the difficult condition of COVID-19 in their workplace. However, since they are not considered to be medical professionals, very few studies and interventions are focused on them. The aim of the present research was to detect the interactions among the work and family environments, as well as to analyze self-perceived mental health and burnout in people who worked as orderlies during the pandemic in public healthcare centers in Huelva (Spain), considering a set of sociodemographic variables. The field work was conducted between April and June 2020. Systematic random sampling was carried out. Information from 84 contributors was gathered through the SWING, MBI-HSS, and GHQ-12 forms. Univariate and bivariate analyzes and correlation tests were carried out. The data were analyzed and correlations were established. The majority of the participants obtained a negative interaction result of work over family. Those who had had contact with SARS-CoV-2 situations presented greater proportions of positive outcome in GHQ-12, bad work-family interaction, burnout, emotional exhaustion, and depersonalization. The men presented a worse general mental health state than the women. Orderlies of Huelva who have had contact with COVID-19 in their workplace present worse indicators of psychological health and greater negative interaction of work over family than those who have not had any contact with these circumstances.