Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39921676›Full record

ArticleOccupational medicine (Oxford, England)2025

Evolution of stressors for healthcare workers over the COVID-19 pandemic.

F Labrèche, Q Durand-Moreau, A Adisesh, J-M Galarneau, S M Ruzycki, T Zadunayski, N Cherry

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Occupational medicine (Oxford, England), 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
4citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

4 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Patients seeking occupational health advice before and after COVID-19.Occupational medicine (Oxford, England) · 2026
    Article
  3. Professional Pride During COVID-19 in a Cohort of Healthcare Workers.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2026
    Article
  4. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors.

F LabrècheResearch Department, Institut de recherche Robert-Sauvé en santé et en sécurité du travail, Montreal, Quebec H3A 3C2, Canada.ORCID 0000-0001-8722-0433
Q Durand-MoreauDivision of Preventive Medicine, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2G3, Canada.ORCID 0000-0003-1168-4201
A AdiseshDivision of Occupational Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5S 3H2, Canada.ORCID 0000-0002-4973-8474
J-M GalarneauSport Injury Prevention Research Centre, Faculty of Kinesiology, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta T2N 1N4, Canada.ORCID 0000-0003-3784-8753
S M RuzyckiDepartment of Medicine and Department of Community Health Sciences, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta T2N 4Z6, Canada.ORCID 0000-0002-8122-2910
T ZadunayskiDivision of Preventive Medicine, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2G3, Canada.ORCID 0000-0002-3564-8478
N CherryDivision of Preventive Medicine, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2G3, Canada.ORCID 0000-0002-3147-1548

Funding

Canadian Immunology Task ForceCollege of Physicians and Surgeons of Alberta 173209
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundMany studies have documented exposure to psychosocial factors in healthcare workers (HCWs) during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Few have done it prospectively with open-ended questions.

aimsTo describe the evolution of stress factors reported by HCWs during the pandemic.

methodsA prospective cohort of 4964 HCWs (physicians, nurses, healthcare aides and personal support workers), from four Canadian provinces, received four online questionnaires between the spring 2020 and 2022. Responses to an open-ended question on stressful events were coded into 25 stressors. Multilevel logistic regressions assessed trends in stressors, and the effect of gender, occupation and age.

resultsIn 2020, 91% of participants reported at least one stressor compared to 51% in spring 2022. Overall, eight stressors were reported 1000 times or more among 16 786 questionnaires. Five stressors decreased over time: fear of COVID-19, problems with personal protective equipment, changing guidelines, management of difficult cases and changes to work routine. Conversely, an increasing trend was noted for volume of work, and poor behaviour from the public or colleagues. Difficulties managing patients' deaths remained steady. Changes in stressors over time were similar by gender, professional role and age group, although the reporting of some stressors varied within subgroups.

conclusionsReporting of most stressors decreased over the pandemic, except for stressors arising from the changing demands on staff and patients as the pandemic progressed. Such changes in workplace psychosocial factors need to be addressed by prevention programmes to ensure an appropriate support response to the needs of HCWs.

Indexed as

COVID-19Health PersonnelOccupational StressStress, PsychologicalAdultCanadaFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedPandemicsPersonal Protective EquipmentProspective StudiesSARS-CoV-2Surveys and Questionnaires

Identifiers

PMID39921676
PMCPMC11973425

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.