Bernard Chang - May 20, 2020

Bernard Chang, MD, PhD, "Mental health on the frontline"

Dr. Chang presented on a cross sectional survey given to a potential pool of 7000 frontline participants (e.g. faculty, medical trainees, APP, nurses, etc.) that evaluated a broad range of biopsychosocial measures to determine mental, behavioral, and physical response to the pandemic. So far, 657 participants have responded (71% women, 48% nurses, 43% physicians, 40% in a critical care area). Several attending physicians, residents/fellows, and nurses/AP providers report symptoms of PTSD, depression and anxiety with nurses reporting the most (65% PTSD, 53% depression, and 40% report anxiety). They utilize several types of coping strategies (e.g., none, exercise, talk therapy, yoga coping behaviors, meditation, religion/spirituality, and virtual support groups). Some survey respondents are looking for wellness resources including: self-guided counseling with access to a therapist, individual therapy, online clinical support groups, mental wellness video, online general wellness (e.g., art) group. He hopes to use this information and perform a longitudinal study of frontline health care workers looking out outcomes (e.g., cardiovascular disease) of coping with this stressful time. Once clinical research is allowed to continue, he will conduct a 3-year study, funded by NHLBI, to collect 2 week burst measurements for 24h ambulatory blood pressure, 24h core body temperature, fit bit change for sleep monitoring/burnout/circadian misalignment, and a daily work stress questionnaire.