ISRRT_COVID-19_book

Kleanthis Konstantinidis
Coping with home and professional life
Initial reactions to COVID‐19 pandemic
In the beginning of 2020, humanity faced the beginning of the COVID‐19 pandemic. Its rapid
spread and the number of those deceased it was leaving behind, caused shock and fear all
over the world. For the healthcare systems and healthcare professionals (HCPs) around the
world the shock was also massive. Healthcare systems were unprepared for the need of
treating so many infected persons. Many HCPs had never been faced with a pandemic. Thus,
the difficulties in dealing with the infected persons soon became apparent, such as the initial
inexperience in managing and treating them, the lack of intensive care infrastructures and
personal protective equipment (PPE) 1 .
Radiographers/radiological technologists (RTs) have also faced and continue to face many
challenges, as they must manage increased workload under the fear of infection 2 . Coping with
home and professional life is a serious matter and the factors that affect it, are analyzed below.
The stress and fear of infection and transmission of COVID‐19 to family members
Radiographers/RTs, as HCPs are at a high risk for exposure and disease from COVID-19. HCPs
are more likely to get sick from COVID-19 than the general population, as they are called upon
to manage COVID-19 patients daily. Therefore, the fear of radiographers/RTs transmitting the
COVID-19 virus to their family, while being asymptomatic, is one more concern added in the
occupational stress they suffer.
During the first wave of the pandemic, when there was still insufficient information on the
transmissibility of the virus, the following findings were often observed in discussions
between colleagues. Colleagues who lived with people in high-risk groups, such as children,
pregnant women, cancer patients, and the elderly, decided to live in a controlled area, usually
isolated from the rest of the family, as a precaution to avoid transmitting the virus to the rest
of the family members 3 . The use of household goods and shared areas, such as the bathroom,
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