Thematic analysis summary of main reasons for anxiety
| Causes of anxiety (themes generated) | Comments |
|---|---|
| Fear of dying and leaving dependents | Concerns about leaving dependents, in particular, when both parents were key workers and leaving children orphaned, and fear of loved ones dying. |
| Transferred anxiety | Anxiety transferred from colleagues, managers, employees and patients, and consequent work-based conflicts. |
| Lack of remote working options | Inability to work from home or to work from home effectively due to IT infrastructure, resources and support issues. |
| Reduced usual service provision | Concerns about adverse impact on patients due to reduced services and routine care; staff sickness; and reduced usual support networks. |
| Clinical uncertainty | Issues around working safely in non-face-to-face consultations, managing risk without examining patients, and how to manage patient anxiety. |
| General uncertainty | Concerns about impact on economy, length of pandemic, and people not following lockdown rules. |
| Social impact of COVID-19 | Concerns about social isolation, reduced usual support networks, childcare issues, and panic buying. |
| Change in work setting | Problems with increased workload, cancelled leave, and changing landscape (specifically locum general practitioners): feeling unsupported, reduced demand for work and lack of locum options to work remotely. |
| Leadership issues | Lack of trust in national leadership and lack of government preparedness were mentioned. Lack of coordination creating confusion and increased workload eg how to identify and manage high-risk patients. |