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April 29, 2026Open Access

Psychosocial Impact of COVID-19 on Intensive Care Unit Personnel: A Repeated Cross-Sectional Survey Assessment Before, During, and After the First Peak

Key Points

This study evaluates the psychosocial impact of COVID-19 on intensive care unit health care workers over time.
Prospective repeated cross-sectional survey administered at intervals to ICU health care workers.
Surveys were conducted from the onset of COVID-19 until 6 months post-first peak in ICU census.
Survey instruments focused on quality of life, burnout, and willingness to work.
ICU health care workers reported high levels of burnout and secondary traumatic stress throughout the study period.
Hesitation to work increased, especially among female and cardiothoracic ICU health care workers.
Feeling protected by the government correlated with decreased hesitation and higher motivation to work.

Abstract

Background/Objectives: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic presented significant psychosocial challenges to intensive care unit health care workers (ICU HCW). Prior studies typically used single cross-sectional samples to focus on elements of burnout and psychological stress. We sought to serially assess quality of life and willingness to work before, during, and after the first peak of COVID-19. Methods: Two survey instruments were prospectively administered at regular intervals to multidisciplinary ICU HCWs, initiating at the local onset of COVID-19 and ending 6 months after the first peak ICU census of COVID-19 patients. Results: ICU HCWs reported high levels of compassion satisfaction, burnout, and secondary traumatic stress before, during and after the first peak of COVID-19. Motivation to work declined, and hesitation to work increased from study initiation to the peak ICU census of COVID-19 patients. Hesitation to work was greater in female HCWs and cardiothoracic ICU HCWs. Motivation to work was higher in those working in operating rooms compared to those in the ICU. Concerns about becoming infected, feelings of isolation, and exhaustion were associated with high hesitation to work. Feeling protected by the government and hospital was associated with decreased hesitation and increased motivation to work. Conclusions: ICU HCWs experienced high levels of stress throughout the first year of COVID-19, while satisfaction with work remained high. Willingness to work was associated with gender, work location, ICU subtype, concerns about infection risk, feelings of exhaustion, and feelings of institutional protection. Because the study methodology precludes causal inference and low survey response rates indicate that findings should be interpreted with caution, these results are best viewed as hypothesis-generating for future work aimed at improving stress mitigation in ICU HCWs.

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