PSYCHOLOGICAL IMPACT OF COVID-19 AMONGST HEALTH PROFESSIONALS IN A TERTIARY CARE HOSPITAL.

Abstract

Background: As the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic is sweeping across the world rapidly the mental health of health professionals is getting at stake.

Aim of this study is to assess and highlight psychosocial impact of COVID-19 amongst health professionals in a tertiary care hospital so that proper interventions can be done to alleviate its negative psychiatric effects.

STUDY DESIGN:

Cross-sectional, descriptive interview-based study survey.

SETTING:

Department of OBGYN Post graduate medical institute/Lahore General Hospital Lahore.

SUBJECT AND METHOD:

A self-designed questionnaire was distributed amongst health care professionals (doctors and nurses from different specialties) during April and May 2020.

RESULTS:

Three hundred health professionals participated in this survey.100% found themselves as health hazard to their family and 90% were having fear of getting socially distant from them.70%- 80% were having anxieties related with going to their job, getting infected, being quarantined and increasing infection rate amongst health professionals. More than 70% were not satisfied with hospital supply of PPES, safety equipment and infection control policy.74% were concerned with long working hours and 79% even wanted to quit from their job.

 CONCLUSION:

Health care professionals are working on frontline with immense psychological stress which may cause negative psychiatric effects on their mental health. So proper policies and interventions should be implemented to provide them psychological support for their better mental health and resilience.