Mental health issues in health care professionals facing a pandemic.

The Sars-CoV-2 pandemic puts an extreme strain on health care professionals, who are at a high risk of psychological distress and other mental health problems. Contributing factors include facing uncertainty, the often unbearable workload, shortages in personal protective equipment and treatments, an overwhelming flow of information, and changes in habitual roles and tasks. Existing studies show that in similar situations, they also experience stigmatization, as well as fear of infection for themselves and their families. This article summarizes the existing research on the mental health issues in health care professionals in this context, including risk factors, and interventions that can be implemented to promote mental well-being in front line professionals.