The Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC), is going to look at how frontline healthcare personnel manage their own physical, emotional and mental wellbeing during the Covid-19 pandemic.

This follows the work done by the HSRC in collaboration with UKZN Medical School, Edendale Hospital and medical students from Walter Sisulu University in April and May last year during the first Covid-19 wave.

This study aims to:
• Provide an in-depth understanding of the lived experiences, challenges and vulnerabilities of healthcare personnel and their families amidst the Covid-19 pandemic.
• Describe the psychosocial and healthcare support services that are currently available for healthcare personnel.
• Explore the factors that contribute to anxiety and stress among healthcare personnel.
• Describe the extent and severity of Covid-19 stigma felt by healthcare personnel.

The study will be conducted in KZN, Western Cape and Gauteng.

Healthcare personnel will be recruited through a network of partners to participate in in-depth interviews, key informant interviews and an electronic platform known as ‘Covid Confidential’ to record personal stories of trauma amidst the Covid-19 pandemic.

According to the HSRC, in South Africa, hundreds of healthcare personnel have succumbed to the disease and as it becomes clear that the country has entered the third wave of the pandemic, at 2% of those being hospitalised are healthcare personnel.

The study will conclude on August 31.

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