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Objective: The objective of this study was to assess the psychological impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on the self-reported rates of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among emergency medical services (EMS) clinicians in urban and suburban settings that were one of the primary epicenters during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic., Methods: Anonymous surveys containing the PTSD Checklist-Specific (PCL-S) were sent electronically between November 2020 and April 2021 to EMS clinicians working in 2 EMS agencies. A threshold score ≥ 36 was considered a positive screen for PTSD symptomology; a score ≥ 44 was considered a presumptive PTSD diagnosis., Results: Of the 214 surveys sent, 107 responses were returned. The total PCL-S scores suggested PTSD symptoms were present in 33% of responding EMS clinicians (95% confidence interval [CI], 24.1%-42.5%), and 25% (95% CI, 17.6%-34.7%) met the criteria for a presumptive diagnosis of PTSD. Regression revealed increasing PCL-S scores were associated with thoughts of job resignation (+3.8; 95% CI, 1.1-6.4; P = .006), whereas lower PCL-S scores were related to the degree that respondents believed emotional support was available at their institution (-3.6; 95% CI, -6.8 to -0.4; P = .03)., Conclusion: Sixth months after the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, one third of participating EMS clinicians screened positive for PTSD symptoms. Pandemic planning must address the mental health of EMS clinicians to reduce subsequent burnout and maintain a healthy workforce., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The author(s) have no relevant disclosures. There was no grant funding or financial support for this manuscript., (Copyright © 2024 Air Medical Journal Associates. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Introduction: Acute care surgeons can experience posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) due to the cumulative stress of practice. This study sought to document the potential impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on PTSD in acute care surgeons and to identify potential contributing factors., Methods: The six-item brief version of the PTSD Checklist-Civilian Version (PCL-6), a validated instrument capturing PTSD symptomology, was used to screen Eastern Association for the Surgery of Trauma members. Added questions gauged pandemic effects on professional and hospital systems-level factors. Regression modeling used responses from attending surgeons that fully completed the PCL-6., Results: Complete responses from 334 of 360 attending surgeons were obtained, with 58 of 334 (17%) screening positive for PTSD symptoms. Factors significantly contributing to both higher PCL-6 scores and meeting criteria for PTSD symptomology included decreasing age, increased administrative duties, reduced research productivity, nonurban practice setting, and loss of annual bonuses. Increasing PCL-6 score was also affected by perceived illness risk and higher odds of PTSD symptomology with elective case cancellation. For most respondents, fear of death and concerns of illness from COVID-19 were not associated with increased odds of PTSD symptomology., Conclusions: The prevalence of PTSD symptomology in this sample was similar to previous reports using surgeon samples (15%-22%). In the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, stress was not directly related to infectious concerns but rather to the collateral challenges caused by the pandemic and unrelated demographic factors. Understanding factors increasing stress in acute care surgeons is critical as part of pandemic planning and management to reduce burnout and maintain a healthy workforce., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: At the peak of the pandemic, acute care surgeons at many hospitals were reassigned to treat COVID-19 patients. However, the effect of the pandemic on this population who are well versed in stressful practice has not been fully explored., Methods: A web-based survey was distributed to the members of the Eastern Association for the Surgery of Trauma (EAST). PTSD and the personal and professional impact of the pandemic were assessed. A positive screen was defined as a severity score of ≥14 or a symptomatic response to at least 5 of the 6 questions on the screen., Results: A total of 393 (17.8%) participants responded to the survey. The median age was 43 (IQR: 38-52) and 238 (60.6%) were male. The majority of participants were surgeons (351, 89.3%), specializing in general surgery/trauma (379, 96.4%). The main practice type and setting were hospital-based (350, 89%) and university hospital (238, 60.6%), respectively. The incidence of PTSD was 16.3% when a threshold severity score of ≥14 was used and 5.6% when symptomatic responses were assessed. Risk factors for a positive PTSD screen included being single/unmarried (p = 0.02), having others close to you contract COVID-19 (p = 0.02), having family issues due to COVID-19 (p = 0.0004), rural (p = 0.005) and suburban (p = 0.047) practice settings, a fear of going to work (p = 0.001), and not having mental health resources provided at work (p = 0.03)., Conclusion: The COVID-19 pandemic had a psychological impact on surgeons. Although acute care surgeons are well versed in stressful practice, the pandemic nevertheless induced PTSD symptoms in this population, suggesting the need for mental health resources., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)