What Researchers Did
Researchers investigated an outbreak of probable mass psychogenic illness among hospital staff in an emergency department.
What They Found
Initially, four of seven staff members became acutely ill with nonspecific symptoms. Over nine days, 14 possible poisoning victims were identified, with 6 transferred for hyperbaric oxygen treatment. The majority of 10 treated victims remained symptomatic despite no physical disease found, suggesting mass psychogenic illness reinforced by dramatic medical intervention.
Canadian Relevance
This study has no direct Canadian connection.
Study Limitations
The study's findings are based on a single outbreak investigation, limiting generalizability to other healthcare settings or populations.