Emotional after-effects of the New Zealand Whakaari eruption on burns and theatre healthcare workers.

Abstract

Aim: The objective of this study was to examine the emotional experiences of healthcare workers after caring for injured patients following New Zealand's Whakaari/White Island volcanic eruption in 2019.

Method: This qualitative research used interpretive description methodology and was conducted at a public health service, Te Whatu Ora Counties Manukau, based in Auckland, New Zealand. Data were collected from two audio-recorded focus group interviews, which were transcribed and analysed using reflexive thematic analysis.

Results: There were six participants from clinical, allied and technical disciplines from anaesthesia, plastic surgery and specialist burns services. Three salient themes were identified: 1) reckoning with aftermath, 2) collective emotional after-effects, and 3) cumulative harm amidst system constraints.

Conclusion: Healthcare organisations can anticipate deep psychological effects on healthcare workers after a mass casualty event. Opportunities for emotional processing may counter the stoicism of medical culture, particularly for those who sustain cumulative harm by recurrent exposure to trauma. More research is required to ascertain how to better meet the challenges of addressing healthcare workers' wellbeing after large-scale disasters.