Psychological and Ethical Support for Hospital Professionals During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Suitability and Post-crisis Implications for the Experience of All Professionals

NCT04944394 | Completed

• 1 other identifier: QUENOT 2020-3
• Study Type: observational
• Target: 4,522
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

SARS-COV-2 has created an unprecedented health crisis, resulting in unprecedented mobilization of all hospital professionals. The massive influx of patients overwhelmed the human, therapeutic and material resources available, and teams were confronted with an unusually heavy workload in a highly stressful emergency context. These professionals were thus exposed to a risk of over-investment in a context of acute and repetitive stress over an indefinite period of time, combining a heavy workload, emotional challenges and specific ethical issues. These factors simultaneously affected the professional sphere but also the personal and family spheres (lockdown, risk of contamination). In this context, the mental health of hospital staff is considered to be more important than ever, as emphasized on numerous occasions by the Director General of Health and the French Minister for Health and Solidarity. Mental health involves the way in which individuals respond specifically to work-related suffering by developing individual and collective defensive strategies. Thus, the question of the mental health of hospital professionals cannot be considered without taking into account the strategies implmented to combat stress, and the factors that contribute or not to the construction and stabilization of the work environment (collaboration, support).

Conditions

Psychological Stress

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Score assessed by Global Health Questionnaire GHQ-12

  at baseline

Study Arms (1)

hospital professionals

all professionals working in hospitals in France

Other: online questionnaire; Other: questionnaire survey

Interventions

questionnaire survey OTHER

A questionnaire survey of the chief physician of the intensive care unit of each hospital will make it possible to characterize the support provided by the institution and how it changed over time

hospital professionals

online questionnaire OTHER

Administration of an online questionnaire (Limesurvey platform) at M0 \- This questionnaire includes a characterization of the professional (center, profession, usual department and department during the health crisis, family situation). Generic stress factors, the traumatic impact of the crisis and collective and individual coping strategies are also collected.

hospital professionals

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years+
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)
• Sampling Method: Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

all professionals working in hospitals

You may qualify if:

• All professionals working in hospitals Professionals involved in the organization of psychological and ethical support may also be interviewed to provide the information necessary to describe and evaluate the support provided and how it changed over time.

You may not qualify if:

• None

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Dijon: lead

Study Sites (1)

Chu Dijon Bourogne

Dijon, France

Location

Related Publications (2)

• Fournier A, Laurent A, Lheureux F, Ribeiro-Marthoud MA, Ecarnot F, Binquet C, Quenot JP. Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health of professionals in 77 hospitals in France. PLoS One. 2022 Feb 16;17(2):e0263666. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0263666. eCollection 2022.

  PMID: 35171915 RESULT

• Fournier A, Deltour V, Lheureux F, Poujol AL, Ecarnot F, Binquet C, Quenot JP, Laurent A. Association between burnout and PTSD, and perceived stress in the workplace among healthcare workers in the intensive care unit: a PsyCOVID-ICU substudy. Psychol Health Med. 2025 Apr;30(4):752-769. doi: 10.1080/13548506.2025.2454038. Epub 2025 Feb 10.

  PMID: 39927681 DERIVED

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Stress, Psychological

Interventions

Surveys and Questionnaires

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Behavioral Symptoms; Behavior

Intervention Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Data Collection; Epidemiologic Methods; Investigative Techniques; Health Care Evaluation Mechanisms; Quality of Health Care; Health Care Quality, Access, and Evaluation; Public Health; Environment and Public Health

Study Design

• Study Type: observational
• Observational Model: COHORT
• Time Perspective: PROSPECTIVE
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: SPONSOR

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: June 28, 2021
• First Posted: June 29, 2021
• Study Start: June 10, 2020
• Primary Completion: September 22, 2020
• Study Completion: September 22, 2020
• Last Updated: January 30, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-01

Locations

FR (1)