Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40413048›Full record

ArticleBMJ open2025

Support measures and demand among healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic: a survey in high-workload provinces of China, 2023.

Leji Wen, Jianzhong Zheng, Ni Hu, Weizhuo Xu, Yueting Fang, Sihang Ma, Huifang Xiong, Yicihan Liu, Dongbei Guo, Lei Zhang

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in BMJ open, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing 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

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
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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

10 authors.

Leji Wen *School of Public Health, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian, China.
Jianzhong Zheng *Department of Urology, Xiang'an Hospital of Xiamen University, School of Medicine, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian, China.
Ni Hu *Xi'an Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Xi'an, Shaanxi, China.
Weizhuo XuSchool of Public Health, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian, China.
Yueting FangSchool of Public Health, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian, China.
Sihang MaSchool of Public Health, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian, China.
Huifang XiongLongyan First Hospital, Longyan, Fujian, China.
Yicihan LiuSchool of Public Health, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian, China.
Dongbei GuoSchool of Public Health, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian, China.
Lei ZhangSchool of Public Health, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian, China DrZhanglei@xmu.edu.cn.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-1965-9553

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectivesTo assess the demands for support measures of healthcare workers (HCWs) in China's high-workload provinces during the COVID-19 pandemic and identify specific needs to make evidence-based recommendations.

designProspective cross-sectional study.

settingConducted in three Chinese provinces characterised by their significant healthcare demands during the pandemic.

participantsThe study comprised 683 HCWs, including doctors, nurses, resident physicians and hospital administrators. The sample was predominantly female (68.1%), with the majority aged between 25 and 34 years. Participants were recruited through convenience and snowball sampling methods, with a focus on individuals working in high-intensity clinical environments.

resultsHierarchical analysis was performed to assess the layered impact of support measures across different roles and genders. Substantial gender disparity was observed, with female staff reporting significantly reduced access to material support (p<0.001), family counselling (p<0.001) and health management (p<0.05), alongside a generally higher demand for various support types. In contrast, HCWs assigned to COVID-19 units did not exhibit heightened needs for COVID-specific training (p<0.001), material support (p<0.001), stress management (p<0.001), family counselling (p<0.001) or rational shift patterns (p<0.001) compared with those in non-COVID-19-focused roles.

conclusionThe study identifies significant support deficiencies, particularly among female HCWs, and emphasises the necessity for targeted interventions to strengthen healthcare system resilience. Recommendations include prioritising adequate rest, equitable resource allocation and the implementation of gender-oriented policies to ensure workforce sustainability and maintain care quality. Further research should focus on longitudinal support dynamics.

Indexed as

COVID-19Health PersonnelWorkloadAdultChinaCross-Sectional StudiesFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedPandemicsProspective StudiesSARS-CoV-2Surveys and QuestionnairesBurnoutCOVID-19HEALTH SERVICES ADMINISTRATION & MANAGEMENTPercieved Social Support

Identifiers

PMID40413048
PMCPMC12104928

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC
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Registered trials

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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.