Healthcare providers on the frontlines

A qualitative investigation of the social and emotional impact of delivering health services during Sierra Leone’s Ebola epidemic

• From: Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office
• Published: 1 September 2016

• Country: Sierra Leone
• Document Type: Journal Article
• Theme: Health, Humanitarian Disasters and Emergencies
• Authors: McMahon, SA, Ho, L.S., Brown H, Miller, L

Abstract

Although research on the epidemiology and ecology of Ebola has expanded since the 2014–15 outbreak in West Africa, less attention has been paid to the mental health implications and the psychosocial context of the disease for providers working in primary health facilities (rather than Ebola-specific treatment units). This study draws on 54 qualitative interviews with 35 providers working in eight peripheral health units of Sierra Leone’s Bo and Kenema Districts.

This research was supported by the Research for Health in Humanitarian Crises (R2HC) Programme

Citation

Shannon A. McMahon, Lara S. Ho, Hannah Brown, Laura Miller, Rashid Ansumana, Caitlin E. Kennedy, Healthcare providers on the frontlines: a qualitative investigation of the social and emotional impact of delivering health services during Sierra Leone’s Ebola epidemic, Health Policy and Planning, Volume 31, Issue 9, November 2016, Pages 1232–1239, https://doi.org/10.1093/heapol/czw055

Link

Healthcare providers on the frontlines: a qualitative investigation of the social and emotional impact of delivering health services during Sierra Leone’s Ebola epidemic

Published 1 September 2016