Determinants of quality of life in frontline healthcare providers caring for COVID-19 patients

Aims and Objectives: To investigate the factors affecting quality of life in healthcare providers who care for patients with COVID-19. Background: Healthcare providers caring for COVID-19 patients during the pandemic suffered a deterioration in their quality of life. Several studies have explored their psychological impact of working with COVID patients, but none have examined the causes of this deterioration. Design: A cross-sectional study. Methods: In the current study, the authors investigated the factors affecting quality of life in 293 healthcare providers recruited from a medical centre in northern Taiwan who had recently cared for patients with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 by analysing their responses to an online self-report questionnaire, using bivariate correlations and structural equation modelling. Reporting of this research adheres to the STROBE guideline. Results: The study identified an important sequence of factors that mediated the effects of perceived success of epidemic prevention policies, family relations problems and education level on quality of life in a sample of healthcare workers caring for COVID-19 patients. The mediators were use of approach-oriented coping strategies and current mental health status. Specifically, use of approach-oriented coping strategies was found to directly cause improved quality of life and indirectly cause improved mental health, whereas use of avoidant coping strategies was found to directly cause worsening of mental health. Poor mental health predicted poor quality of life. Conclusions: Results suggest that implementation of sound epidemic prevention policies that promote adoption of approach-oriented coping behaviour should lead to a better quality of life in the future for healthcare providers working in challenging circumstances. Relevance to Clinical Practice: Assessment of these policies as well as the providers' family relations are necessary first steps to improving the success of approach-oriented coping behaviour in this population, which in turn can improve their mental health and quality of life.