The psychological impact of COVID‐19 on frontline healthcare workers ‘From Heartbreak to Hope’

It is over a year since the first death of a patient in Ireland with COVID-19, and the national healthcare system continues to experience extreme levels of demand on all resources. In the context of persistently high COVID case numbers, the emergence of highly resistant strains and the possibility of a fourth wave, there remains unease about how the health system is coping. Frontline healthcare workers continue to risk infection and transmission of infection, endure increased workloads, suffer trauma through bearing witness to high levels of death and disability, and experience moral distress arising from these novel working circumstances. This is often compounded by challenges with resource allocation and the pandemic-related alterations to end of life care provision. This editorial reflects the discussions prompted as a result of the virtual symposium ‘The Psychological Impact of COVID-19 on Frontline Healthcare Workers’, hosted by the School of Nursing, Midwifery and Health Systems, University College Dublin in March 2021. This event served as a forum for international experts to present their research on the subject of the psychological impact of COVID-19 on frontline healthcare staff and to highlight measures that may be of help. Prof. Neil Greenberg provided a keynote session, which illuminated the stressors faced by healthcare staff and the importance of recognition and support in maintaining well-being.