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Abstract Background We aimed to assess the personal and professional quality of life changes among health care workers of different professions during the COVID-19 pandemic in a large French university hospital. Other published data originated from countries with different health care systems and outbreak dynamics. Methods All health care workers from our hospital were invited to fill-in an anonymous e-questionnaire of 71 questions regarding perceived personal, professional and overall quality of life before and during the first COVID-19 wave, general profile, occupation and job characteristics, change of assignment, COVID-care features if relevant, general perception during the first wave, and personal experience of being encouraged or stigmatised. Results There were 794 participants, with a majority of nursing professionals (n = 416, 56%), including 57 nurse managers, 243 nurses, and 116 nurse assistants. Other participants were physicians (n = 188) and other health care staff (n = 140). Before the crisis, professional quality of life was low (6.5 on a 10-point scale) overall. The personal quality of life was higher (8.1) particularly for physicians and nurse managers. The COVID crisis saw a marked decrease in the personal quality of life (− 1.7), more pronounced in younger health care workers. Professional quality of life was less affected (− 0.4) and stayed almost constant for physicians. Staff in COVID units had a more positive perception of the crisis but experienced more fatigue, which resulted in similar quality of life levels in COVID and non-COVID units. Encouragements originated more often from relatives or colleagues than hospital managers and were exceptionally common: 63.4% of all participants, from 50.5% for other staff to 71.3% for physicians (p = 0.0005). Stigmatisation was reported by 19.3% of participants, with a higher proportion (p = 0.0001) among nurses (26.3%) and assistant nurses (23.3%) than among physicians (8.5%). From multivariate analysis, higher age, working as a physician and receiving encouragements were independently associated with lower loss of overall quality of life. Conclusions The resilience of health care workers was high overall during the first COVID wave although the quality of life decreased more among nursing staff. Social support in the form of encouragements is a key part of management, particularly in times of crisis.

Introduction: The aim of the present study was to analyse the changes in antidiabetic drug prescription patterns during the follow-up of the GERODIAB cohort between 2009 and 2015 and to compare them with the available professional recommendations. Patients and methods: The present study included 637 type 2 diabetic patients aged 70 years and over who have survived after 5 years. We compared the three main types of therapeutic modalities: (1) insulin only; (2) combination of insulin and one or more oral antidiabetic drugs (OADs) and/or glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RAs); and (3) treatment with one or more OADs and/or GLP-1RAs without insulin. We analysed changes in the antidiabetic drug classes, notably the antidiabetic drugs exposing patients to hypoglycaemia. Finally, we analysed changes in the prescriptions of patients initially treated with antidiabetic monotherapy. Results: At inclusion, 25.6% patients were receiving only insulin, 30.9% patients were receiving insulin and OADs and/or GLP-1RAs, and 42.5% patients were receiving OADs and/or GLP-1RAs without insulin. At the final visit, 69.5% of patients continued to receive the same treatment modality. Only the number of patients treated with insulin alone increased (+9.9%). Prescriptions of insulin increased and prescriptions of OADs or GLP-1RAs decreased. The total drugs exposing patients to hypoglycaemia remained constant. Prescriptions of metformin remained high, prescriptions of sulfonylureas and glinides decreased and those of DPP-4 inhibitors increased. Discussion - Conclusion: The increased prescription of insulin was predictable. Prescriptions of sulfonylureas and glinides remained relatively high, although recommendations for these drugs continue to decline.