It is clear that being a healthcare professional during these difficult times is a gruelling job. As healthcare professionals, it has been more than two months of uncertainty and arduous work that they’ve been engaged in. The pandemic phase has increased the workload for healthcare workers by more than 75% as compared to before. What are the challenges they are facing every single day?

• Shortage of staff in comparison to the number of patients. This inversely leads to a double shift or a hectic schedule of 16-hour shifts with no time to get uninterrupted rest. 
• The pressure of decision making is real for healthcare professionals as they have to look at the allocation of resources as well as balance the physical and mental health needs of their teams. They also have to compare two patients’ needs and decide whom to attend to first, at the cost of the other, which is excruciating. 

 According to a study, following are the increased rates of depression (50.4%), anxiety (44.6%) and insomnia (34.0%) in healthcare workers. These psychological issues lead to burnouts from staffing shortages, poor communication within the healthcare system, an increased potential for violence at the workplace, and the inability to spend time with the patients or experience compassion fatigue. 

How can the healthcare workers deal with these challenges during the COVID pandemic?

• Use their medical school training to counter panic attacks and a feeling of drowning in work.
• Keep the sense of humour alive to keep the spirits up with teams even under the most dreary circumstances.
• Take time out for self-care and a short break, whenever possible, to refresh the mind.
• Try and maintain a good rapport with their teams, colleagues, support staff. In the absence of the family, they are the people who will keep you afloat.
• Control mood swings, tempers, angry words and try and diffuse a conflict so as to not disturb the equilibrium of the mind and the comfort of your workplace.