. Rashi Garg; . Neelam Gupta; . Shraddha Puri; . Naveen Kakkar
Volume 12, Issue 7 , August 2022, , Pages 1-6
Abstract
BACKGROUND: The Covid‑19 outbreak has led to an unprecedented burden on the healthcareinfrastructure. High morbidity and mortality rates have resulted in a state of stress and distress ...
Read More
BACKGROUND: The Covid‑19 outbreak has led to an unprecedented burden on the healthcareinfrastructure. High morbidity and mortality rates have resulted in a state of stress and distress amongthe general population which has also impacted health professionals.AIMS: This study was conducted to identify mental health disturbances among health professionalsduring the Covid‑19 pandemic.MATERIALS AND METHODS: It was a cross‑sectional study, conducted in a Medical Collegein Himachal Pradesh, India. A self‑administered anonymized questionnaire was administered tothe healthcare workers. Mental health status was assessed using Patient Health QuestionnaireAnxiety‑Depression Scale (PHQ‑ADS). In addition, a 15‑item questionnaire was prepared to identifythe probable causes of stress in HCWs during the Covid‑19 Pandemic. A statistical analysis usedt‑test was used to find the significance of the correlation between the PHQ‑ADS score and theagreement score of different factors.RESULTS: The response rate for the questionnaire was 27%. Anxiety and depression were seen in29% of participants, ranging from mild (18.3%), moderate (4.7%), and severe (5.9%). Among females43.7% of the participants and among males, 13.1% had anxiety and depression. High PHQ‑ADSscores were seen in nursing staff (70%) and postgraduate students (30%), who were in the thirddecade of life. Most (81.7%) of the HCWs were concerned about transmitting the disease to theirnear ones. Fear of coming to the hospital and dealing with patients.CONCLUSION: Even sub‑threshold syndromes among HCWs need to be identified before theyevolve into overt diseases. The psychological needs of healthcare workers should be prioritized asthey are key players in the fight against Covid‑19.
