Reviewer’s report
Title: 
Psychosocial, emotional and professional challenges faced by female
healthcare professionals during the COVID-19 outbreak in Lahore, Pakistan: A
qualitative study
Version: 
2 
Date: 
01 Apr 2021
Reviewer's report:
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1) In Introduction the statement "Like other coronaviruses, i.e. SARS and
MERS, inter-human transmission of COVID-19 typically occurs via aerosols"
should be cited (cite: Chirico F, Sacco A, Bragazzi NL, Magnavita N. Can Air-
Conditioning Systems Contribute to the Spread of SARS/MERS/COVID-19
infection? Insights from a Rapid Review of the Literature. Int J Environ Res
Public Health. 2020, 17(17), 6052; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17176052)
2) In Introduction the statement "Due to their close contact with COVID-19 56
patients, healthcare professionals were at greater risk of developing
psychological and stress related disorders than the general public. The reason for
this psychological stress could be 
excessive workload, deficient PPE, negative
broadcasts about HCPs' work ethic, updates regarding COVID-19, along with
increasing social and emotional pressures, moral quandaries, 
60 rapidly evolving unfamiliar practice-setting and inadequate provision of
facilities for mental catharsis" is too long and no referenced (cite: Chirico F,
Nucera G, Sacco A, Magnavita N. Proper respirators use is crucial for protecting
both emergency first aid responder and casualty from COVID-19 and airborne-
transmitted infections. Adv Respir Med. 2021;89(1):99-100. doi:
10.5603/ARM.a2021.0028. Chirico F, Magnavita N. Covid-19 infection in Italy:
An occupational injury. S Afr Med J. 2020 May 8;110(6):12944. Doi:
10.7196/SAMJ.2020.v110i6.14855).
3) In discussion, when the authors state Therefore, timely psychological
interventions are needed for female HCPs, as in other countries, where
meditation and relaxation therapies have been used to release increased stress,
they cite only one study. I suggest to cite more studies (Chirico F, Nucera G. An
Italian Experience of Spirituality from the Coronavirus Pandemic. J Relig
Health. 2020 Oct;59(5):2193-2195. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-020-01036-
1.)
4) The authors should add in discussion the implications for policymakers
section. For example, mandatory occupational surveillance in other countries has
been found to be useful to address mental health issues of HCWs (cite: Chirico
F, Magnavita N. The Crucial Role of Occupational Health Surveillance for
Health-care Workers During the COVID-19 Pandemic. Workplace Health &
Safety. 2021;69(1):5-6. doi:10.1177/2165079920950161. Chirico F, Nucera G,
Magnavita N. Protecting the mental health of healthcare workers during the
COVID-19 emergency. BJ Psych International. 2020. 1-6. 
Doi:
10.1192/bji.2020.39)
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