Outbreak distress’
Characterising moral distress among international healthcare workers responding to mpox
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 15540044 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Rosalie Hayes (0000-0003-4046-4101, Queen Mary University of London), A TAIT SMITH (Curtin University), Anthony K J Smith (UNSW Sydney), Sara Paparini (0000-0002-1909-2481, Queen Mary University of London), Vanessa Apea (0000-0002-0533-8292, Queen Mary University of London), Martin Holt (0000-0002-2586-8274, UNSW Sydney), Chloe Orkin (0000-0001-6168-6745, Queen Mary University of London, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Volume | 21 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | 2607848-2607848 |
| Publication date | 2026-02-02 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Global Public Health (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1744-1692 • E-ISSN: 1744-1706 |
| Publisher | Taylor & Francis (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/17441692.2025.2607848 |
| PMID | 41629257 |
| OpenAlex | W7127183629 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 46 |
In May 2022, a global outbreak of mpox (formerly known as monkeypox) was declared an international public health emergency. During this time, healthcare workers scrambled to respond to the outbreak amidst a lack of resources, knowledge gaps and pressures related to COVID-19. This period posed a risk of heightened moral distress, defined as distress arising from a situation in which a healthcare worker knows the right thing to do but is externally constrained from doing so. An international survey of healthcare workers was developed to understand their experiences of responding to mpox, including open-text questions regarding moral distress. Drawing on thematic analysis of these open text responses, this paper conceptualises the forms of distress experienced by health workers as 'outbreak distress'-an emotional and psychological response to the synergistic effects that arise from stressed systems, uncertainty and stigma that characterise many, and especially new, infectious disease outbreaks. In the context of pandemic preparedness, outbreak distress represents a novel concept for understanding additional pressures on healthcare systems in future unknown and re-emerging outbreaks
Context (archaeology · Distress · Health care · Pandemic · Public health · Stigma (botany · Thematic analysis · Disaster Response and Management · Global Security and Public Health · Viral Infections and Outbreaks Research
The Politics of Uncertainty
Monkeypox Virus Infection in Humans across 16 Countries — April–June 2022
Moral Distress, Moral Residue, and the Crescendo Effect
Experiences of frontline healthcare workers and their views about support during Covid-19 and previous pandemics
Moral Injury
Intensity and frequency of extreme novel epidemics
International healthcare workers’ experiences and perceptions of the 2022 multi-country mpox outbreak
Reflecting on reflexive thematic analysis
Gay and Bisexual Men’s Perceptions of Pre-exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) in a Context of High Accessibility
Problematising the emergence of outbreak science in the governance of global health
Mpox Illness Narratives
The online survey as a qualitative research tool
Is There Anything Else You’d Like to Tell Us About Your Experience?’ Orientations Towards Listening to Open-Ended Survey Responses
The Covid-19 pandemic and health inequalities
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |