Data_Sheet_1_Quality of therapy and mental health among occupational therapists during the COVID-19 pandemic.PDF

IntroductionThe coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19) has had a severe psychological impact on occupational therapists. Clarifying the mental health status of occupational therapists and its relationship with therapy quality is essential for maintaining the quality of care and patients' quality of life. Therefore, the present study aimed to investigate whether and how mental health problems are related to the quality of occupational therapy.
MethodsA nationwide cross-sectional online survey was conducted during Japan's second national state of emergency (January 2021). A total of 4,418 registered occupational therapists who were members of the Japanese Association of Occupational Therapists participated in this study. After screening for the exclusion criteria, data from 1,966 participants were analyzed.
ResultsPath analysis showed that insufficient information provision by the workplace and increased workload were associated with depression, anxiety, and insomnia. Specifically, depression was associated with decreased therapy quality. Furthermore, one's therapy quality showed a strong positive correlation with colleagues' therapy quality.
DiscussionThese results demonstrated a direct link between therapists' mental health conditions and therapy quality and suggested that decreased therapy quality might occur at the institutional rather than individual level. A reassessment of the support system and prompt detection and support for professionals with psychological symptoms may be the key to enhancing therapy quality and patients' quality of life. The present results contribute to the understanding of these relationships, considering the current pandemic context for occupational therapists.

引言：2019冠状病毒病（COVID-19）对作业治疗师（occupational therapists）造成了严重的心理冲击。明确作业治疗师的心理健康现状及其与治疗质量的关联，对于维持照护质量与患者生活质量至关重要。因此，本研究旨在探讨心理健康问题是否以及如何与作业治疗质量相关联。
方法：本研究于日本第二次全国紧急事态期间（2021年1月）开展了一项全国性横断面线上调查。共计4418名日本作业治疗师协会（Japanese Association of Occupational Therapists）的注册作业治疗师参与了本研究。经排除标准筛选后，最终对1966名参与者的数据进行了分析。
结果：路径分析结果显示，工作场所的信息供给不足与工作量增加均与抑郁、焦虑及失眠症状相关。具体而言，抑郁症状与治疗质量下降存在关联。此外，个体自身的治疗质量与同事的治疗质量呈显著正相关。
讨论：本研究结果证实了作业治疗师的心理健康状况与治疗质量之间存在直接关联，并提示治疗质量下降可能更多源于机构层面而非个体层面。对支持体系进行重新评估，以及及时识别并为存在心理症状的从业者提供支持，或为提升治疗质量与患者生活质量的关键所在。结合当前作业治疗师所处的疫情背景，本研究结果有助于进一步明晰上述关联。