User:Elyse.Engebretson/sandbox

Healthcare
The social effects of Covid-19 reach not only to socioeconomic crises, but also to crises within the healthcare system itself. The Coronavirus pandemic has drastically changed the ways healthcare workers care for patients and also initiated reassessment of previous protocols. In Uganda, a study showed that Covid-19 protocols led to less patients being able to access care and treatment at HIV clinics. While patients experiences limited access to care, healthcare workers experienced drastic changes in the way they care for patients. For example, psychiatrists reported that using telemedicine for patients in response to the pandemic was overall successful, however was difficult for aspects such as nonverbal cues. The Coronavirus pandemic also negatively affected the way healthcare workers provided care. Nurses found that the stress of caring for patients with Covid-19 had a direct negative impact on the quality of care that they were able to provide. In addition, physicians and nurses in China reported experiencing bed shortages, supply shortages, understaffing, and higher death rates in patients while caring for patients during the pandemic. This led to these same healthcare providers experiencing depression, insomnia, anxiety, and stress. These challenges during the Covid-19 pandemic had a direct negative impact on both healthcare workers and their patients. Due the influx of difficulties faced by healthcare providers, many developed coping mechanisms to manage the stress. These coping mechanisms included distraction, humor, rationalization, and even isolation. While healthcare workers experiences these struggles, they also reported positive aspects as well such as increases in personal growth and professional responsibility. Overall, the social impact of the Covid-19 pandemic challenged the resilience of both healthcare providers and their patients.