How frontline health-care workers have felt during the COVID-19 pandemic is the focus of a new study by London-based researchers.

Lawson Health Research Institute scientists plan to examine moral distress and psychological well-being of medical staff throughout this pandemic in order to minimize negative effects during future pandemics.

Approximately 500 Canadian medical staff are needed for the 18-month study. They will be asked to complete online surveys once every three months.

“Health care workers are facing unprecedented demands as a result of the pandemic and many may be working under extreme physical and psychological stress,” Lawson Associate Scientist Dr. Don Richardson said in a statement. “Health-care workers may face difficult moral-ethical decisions including those around patient care and shortages of personal protective equipment (PPE), which could lead to moral distress.”

A form of psychological distress, moral distress occurs following an event that conflicts with a person’s moral values or standards and has been previously linked to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression.

Each of the surveys being administered will asks questions about moral-ethical dilemmas and symptoms of depression, PTSD, general anxiety, and burnout.

Researchers hope results of the study can be used to “cultivate wellness” at the outset of future pandemics by identifying early warning signs of distress. Findings could also be used to build new emergency preparedness policies and moral-ethical decision-making training modules.

Participants will also be asked how the current pandemic is effecting health care delivery, such as increased reliance on virtual care appointments, and whether health care workers are satisfied with these changes.

“It is necessary to provide a voice to health-care workers during this pandemic,” added Richardson. “This is the first study to measure the moral-ethical dilemmas faced in a pandemic and the impacts of such dilemmas on moral distress. It is also the first to measure health care worker perceptions on the virtual migration of patient care.”

The study is being conducted in partnership with the Centre of Excellence on PTSD and Related Mental Health Conditions.

Health-care workers interested in participating can learn more about the study by clicking here.