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Health Check: The impact on doctors and nurses of making difficult medical decisions

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The impact on doctors and nurses of making difficult medical decisions

2020/04/15 GMT

BBC World Service - Health Check, The impact on doctors and nurses of making difficult medical decisions

The “moral injury” felt by staff making difficult decisions during the Covid-19 pandemic

Making difficult decisions when hospitals are overwhelmed can put healthcare workers at risk of mental health problems; lockdown in Chile; lessons from Antarctica on isolation.

When hospitals are overcrowded with Covid-19 patients and doctors have to prioritise who to treat first it can leave them with feelings of “moral injury” – putting them at risk of developing mental health problems. The feelings of anger, shame and guilt can result in irritability and adopting a negative slant on life. Making difficult decisions quickly is seen a lot in the armed services. Neil Greenberg, Professor of Defence Mental Health at Kings College London, explains how he's applying lessons from research in the military to support staff during the pandemic. 

More than 3 billion people around the world are living in some kind of lockdown. In Chile’s capital Santiago richer neighbourhoods have been quarantined following reports of staff working for families there taking the virus back to their homes in poorer neighbourhoods. 

And if you are struggling with enforced isolation designed to protect your community from infection - we hear from a doctor who studied scientists in Antarctica to see how they coped living in close proximity to colleagues for months on end, many in total darkness. She says social media and keeping a private space for herself really helped. 
 
Presenter: Claudia Hammond 
Producer: Paula McGrath

(Image: A medical professional places their hand on a colleague's shoulder during the Covid-19 pandemic. Photo: Gabriel Kuchta/Getty Images.)

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