Copyright: ©Author(s) 2026. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license. No commercial re-use. See permissions. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc.
World J Crit Care Med. Jun 9, 2026; 15(2): 118885
Published online Jun 9, 2026. doi: 10.5492/wjccm.v15.i2.118885
Published online Jun 9, 2026. doi: 10.5492/wjccm.v15.i2.118885
Long-term psychological outcomes among frontline healthcare workers following the COVID-19 pandemic: A systematic review
Traci N Adams, Hetal J Patel, Department of Medicine, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, United States
Carol S North, Department of Psychiatry, The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, United States
Author contributions: Adams TN, Patel HJ, and North CS all contributed to analysis, writing, and editing the manuscript.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors report no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.
PRISMA 2009 Checklist statement: The authors have read the PRISMA 2009 Checklist, and the manuscript was prepared and revised according to the PRISMA 2009 Checklist.
Corresponding author: Traci N Adams, MD, Associate Professor, Department of Medicine, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, 5323 Harry Hines Blvd, Dallas, TX 75390, United States. traci.adams@utsouthwestern.edu
Received: January 14, 2026
Revised: January 30, 2026
Accepted: March 31, 2026
Published online: June 9, 2026
Processing time: 127 Days and 18.1 Hours
Revised: January 30, 2026
Accepted: March 31, 2026
Published online: June 9, 2026
Processing time: 127 Days and 18.1 Hours
Core Tip
Core Tip: Healthcare workers (HCW) are at risk for stress-related, anxiety, depressive, and sleep disorders at least 1 year after the end of the pandemic. These results suggest that enhanced access to psychiatry services is warranted in HCW populations exposed to pandemics.