COVID-19 is causing collective trauma to nurses.

The current situation caused by COVID-19 is very worrying worldwide. Healthcare systems, already exhausted and under immense strain, are facing a new onslaught of the virus, the dreaded third wave.

Among the many reports emerging related to the worsening mental health of health professionals due to the pandemic, we focus on the one made by the International Council of Nurses (ICN) , an entity that represents 130 national nursing associations worldwide.

The ICN report warns that this health crisis is causing collective trauma for nurses worldwide. Nurses, like other healthcare and social care professionals, have been subjected to high levels of stress, anxiety, and uncertainty for months.

The psychological distress of healthcare professionals

More than 2,200 nurses from 59 countries have died from COVID-19, according to this report. Brazil, the United States, and Mexico top the list of countries with the most nurse deaths. In fact, 60% of these deaths have occurred in countries across the Americas.

To these devastating figures must be added the heavy workload that has not lessened for months and the difficult experiences endured. All of this generates greater psychological distress for all healthcare professionals.

The ICN states that the effect of COVID-19 "is a complex and extraordinary form of trauma with potentially devastating consequences, both in the short and long term, for nurses as individuals and for the health systems in which they work."

The international organization emphasizes that, if governments do not take action, "there is a risk that the pandemic will damage the profession in future generations and could lead to an exodus from the profession."

Impact on the mental health of professionals worldwide

Since the start of the health crisis, the proportion of nurses reporting mental health problems has increased from 60 to 80% in many countries.

Although each country or health region registers different situations depending on the state of the pandemic itself and the development of its own health system, it is worth collecting some of the most outstanding data regarding the impact of the pandemic on the mental health of nurses worldwide.

• Spain - 80% of nurses report symptoms of anxiety and increasing exhaustion.
• Japan – 15% of hospitals have reported cases of nurses leaving their jobs. 20% of nurses reported experiencing discrimination or prejudice during the first wave of the pandemic.
• United States – Half of all nurses feel overwhelmed. 93% of healthcare workers are experiencing stress, and 76% are experiencing burnout. There has been a significant increase in nurses' workloads per patient, with some hospitals tripling the number of patients they are responsible for.
• Brazil - 49% of nurses report anxiety and 25% report depression.
• China - 60% of nurses show exhaustion and 90% show anxiety.
• African continent - A survey conducted in 13 African countries reveals that 20% of health professionals have experienced symptoms of depression daily during the pandemic, compared to 2% before the pandemic.
• Israel - More than 40% of nurses are afraid to care for people sick with COVID-19.
• Australia - 61% of healthcare professionals show burnout and 28%, depression.

Photo of Hospital Clínic Barcelona @franciscoavia