Evaluating Healthcare workers’ Mental health after four waves of COVID-19

Abstract

Introduction Health workers faced many challenges during the Pandemic of COVID-19. Continuous work stress and workload may affect their physical and mental health. Objectives The study aimed to evaluate mental health among healthcare workers after the four peaks of COVID-19. Methods We conducted a cross-sectional study on personnel working in a COVID-19 unit after four waves. We carried out a self-administrated questionnaire that included sociodemographic and professional data. To assess the level of depression, anxiety and stress symptoms we used the depression anxiety and stress scale (DASS 21). Results The study included 69 healthcare workers. Their mean age was 31.7 ± 6.32 years and 52.2 % of them were male. Thirty-two per cent were technicians, 29% were administrators and 21,7% were nurses. Sixty-eight per cent had either direct or indirect contact with positive patients. The vast majority of them were vaccinated against SARS COV2 and 72,5 % received more than 1 dose. Regarding DASS-21, we found that 10,1% presented mild to moderate stress, 23% had mild to moderate anxiety and 16% had mild to moderate depression symptoms. Depression was correlated with the male gender (p=0.03). Conclusions Our study showed a regression in terms of stress levels, anxiety, and depression among healthcare workers after the fourth wave, announcing the amelioration of mental health in case the pandemic gets to its end. A tight follow-up remains needed. Disclosure of Interest None Declared