ASSESSMENT OF MENTAL STRESS IN HEALTH CARE WORKERS OF RURAL TERTIARY CARE HOSPITAL IN COVID-19 PANDEMIC

Ramakant Yadav, Shweta Jain, Ankur Vaidya*, Raj Kumar

Uttar Pradesh University of Medical Sciences, Saifai, Etawah, Uttar Pradesh, India

ABSTRACT

The sudden outbreak of 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV), brings numerous challenges not only for general population, but also to health care workers (HCWs) who are serving in numerous hospitals worldwide. These health care workers have dual impacts of COVID-19 pandemic, facing not only the overload of infected patients in hospitals but also dealing with psychiatric distress among them. The aim of the present study was to investigate the psychiatric distress in 98 HCWs, working in Uttar Pradesh University of Medical Sciences, Saifai, Etawah India. In all recruited HCWs measures depression, anxiety and stress level and also raised questioning related to stress level from these HCWs. Results showed that nursing staff had highest level of depression, anxiety and stress level followed by doctors and paramedical staff. Majority of HCWs had positive response from their family members, society and infected patients. Almost HCWs believed that PPE kit is able to protect them and meeting with their family members/loved ones helps to reduce stress levels. HCWs who came in direct contact with COVID positive patients or infected ones had higher psychiatric distress over the HCWs who did not came in direct contact. Most of the HCWs denied requisition of mental health professionals to minimize stress levels and believed that working in rural area hospital is comparatively safe to working in urban area hospital.

Keywords:

Generalized Anxiety, Depression, Perceived Stress, Health Care Workers, Psychiatric Distress, Rural