title: Acute Ebola virus disease patient treatment and health-related quality of life in health care professionals: A controlled study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study aimed to identify predictors of health-related quality of life (HrQoL) and to investigate infection-related concerns in health professionals during the acute treatment episode for one Ebola virus disease (EVD) patient in tertiary care.
  
  
  METHODS
  In a cross-sectional controlled study, validated self-report questionnaires were completed by three groups of health care professionals: (1) staff from standard internal medicine inpatient wards of a tertiary care center, (2) staff from the isolation unit of the same center responsible for Ebola patient treatment, and (3) staff from a research laboratory with contact to the Ebola virus and other highly infectious pathogens. Outcomes were HrQoL (SF-12), infection-related concerns, global health status, fatigue (FACIT), depression (PHQ-9), anxiety (GAD-7), and somatic symptoms (SSS-8).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Comparisons between groups (n1=42, n2=32, n3=12) yielded no significant differences in HrQoL, subjective risk of infection, and most other psychosocial variables. However, the Ebola patient treatment group experienced significantly higher levels of social isolation than both other groups. The best predictors of poor physical and mental HrQoL were perceived lack of knowledge about the Ebola virus disease (physical: B=-1.2, p=0.05; mental: B=-1.3, p=0.03) and fatigue (physical: B=-0.3, p=0.02; mental: B=-0.53, p<0.001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Ebola patient treatment in tertiary care does not seem to be associated with lower HrQoL and enhanced subjective risk of infection, but seems to yield feelings of social isolation in health-care professionals.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf and Schön Klinik Hamburg Eilbek, Hamburg, Germany. Electronic address: ma.lehmann@uke.de.
authors.forename: Marco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lehmann
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf and Schön Klinik Hamburg Eilbek, Hamburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Christian A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Bruenahl
authors.affiliation: Medical Department, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany; German Center of Infection Research (DZIF), Standort Hamburg-Lübeck-Borstel, Germany.
authors.forename: Marylyn M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Addo
authors.affiliation: Institute of Virology, Philipps University Marburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Stephan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Becker
authors.affiliation: Medical Department, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Stefan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Schmiedel
authors.affiliation: Medical Department, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Ansgar W
authors.initials: AW
authors.lastname: Lohse
authors.affiliation: Medical Department, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Christoph
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Schramm
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf and Schön Klinik Hamburg Eilbek, Hamburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Bernd
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Löwe
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000328:Adult; D001007:Anxiety / Q000209:etiology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003863:Depression / Q000209:etiology; D005221:Fatigue / Q000209:etiology; D005260:Female; D006282:Health Personnel / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006304:Health Status; D019142:Hemorrhagic Fever, Ebola / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011788:Quality of Life; D057566:Self Report; D012934:Social Isolation; D062606:Tertiary Care Centers; D063128:Tertiary Health Care
keywords: Controlled study; Ebola virus disease; Health care professionals; Health-related quality of life