Psychological Response to COVID-19 in Turkish Dialysis Healthcare Providers

Abstract

Introduction COVID-19 has been a stressful experience for healthcare providers (HCP), and created an additional distress on dialysis HCP since patients have greater risk of infection, symptom severity and death. Objectives We aimed to investigate the level of psychological difficulties in Turkish dialysis HCP during the early outbreak period. Methods Participants filled an online survey including a screening questionnaire, Depression Anxiety Stress Scale-21 (DASS-21) and Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS). Chi-Square, Fisher’s exact, Mann- Whitney- U, Kruskal Wallis, Spearman correlation and linear regression analyses were conducted. Results Getting infected with COVID-19 and transmitting the disease to their beloveds were the major concerns of HCP. DASS-21 scores were higher in participants who were single and without children, having trouble in finding equipment or worrying about finding equipment in the future, being in contact with COVID-19(+) people; who increased tobacco and alcohol use, and who declared sleep, appetite, somatic problems. Worries about getting COVID-19 [(94.6%) vs. (90.6%) vs. (84.7%); p<0.001] and shortage of equipment [(52.9%) vs. (29.4%) vs. (26.3%); p<0.001]; sleep [(62.2%) vs. (43.5%) vs. (34%); p<0.001] and somatic problems [(58.4%) vs. (50%) vs. (28.2%); p<0.001] and DASS-21 scores [(5-21) vs. (3-15) vs. (0-12); p<0.001] were higher in nurses. Conclusions Worries and lifestyle changes associated with the outbreak are related to psychological difficulties. Adequate level of knowledge, self-protection and social support are important issues for HCP. While we recommend the HCP to express and share their worries; institutions should focus on the psychological status of the staff and provide immediate interventions. Disclosure of Interest None Declared