Evaluation of Stress, Depression, and Anxiety among Health-Care Workers doing Duty for COVID-19 Patients in Tertiary Health-Care Facilities

Abstract

Background: The coronavirus pandemic (coronavirus disease 2019 [COVID-19]) has brought the entire world to a standstill, causing an unprecedented impact on people's lives. The most affected population is the frontline health-care workers, including the on-duty doctors and paramedical staff members providing treatment and care to the COVID patients in the wards and intensive care units. Aim: The present study aimed to evaluate, compare, and correlate the prevalent levels of stress, depression, and anxiety among the doctors and the paramedical personnel treating COVID-19 patients. Materials and Methods: Two hundred and eight consecutive medical professionals and 209 consecutive paramedical personnel, fulfilling the inclusion criteria, were evaluated. Sociodemographic and clinical data were gathered using a semi-structured proforma. Assessments were further done using the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale. Chi-square test was used to compare the groups (medical and paramedical staff) and their correlates. Results: Depression was present in significantly higher number of paramedical staff (43.54%) compared to medical personnel (33.17%). Among doctors, the total duty hours had a significant positive correlation (P < 0.05) to the depressive symptoms. In contrast, the anxiety levels were significantly lower (P < 0.05) among those paramedical staff members who performed their COVID duty for more than 2 weeks. Conclusion: The relentless management of COVID patients by the health-care warriors has begotten a high level of psychiatric morbidity among them. Provision of better facilities, adequate information, and appropriate interventions are required in this regard.

Keywords

• anxiety
• covid-19
• depression
• health-care workers
• stress