P.0641 Mental health status of the intensive care unit healthcare workers in an university hospital at the beginning of COVID-19 pandemic

Background: COVID-19 has quickly led to a global pandemic after WHO announced it as a new viral pneumonia on December 31, 2019 (1). A pandemic is defined as a disease or infectious factor that occurs worldwide or in a wide area which crosses international borders and affects a large number of people (2). Mental health is also significantly affected during pandemic periods as well as physical health (3). When the studies about the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health status of healthcare workers are examined, a study by Lai et al. in China revealed that depression, anxiety, insomnia, and stress symptoms appeared in a significant portion of healthcare workers, particularly in women, nurses and frontline healthcare workers (4). In the literatüre, it was also stated that healthcare workers, especially those working in the emergency department, intensive care unit, and infectious diseases services, were at high risk for psychiatric disorders (5).

Objective: To reveal anxiety, depression, sleep quality, and stress levels in intensive care unit healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic and investigate the factors affecting them.

Method: 79 participants working at Adıyaman University Hospital Intensive Care Units between 20-30 April 2020 were included in the study. Participants filled the questionnaire form regarding sociodemographic data and COVID-19, and PSQI, DASS-42, BDI, and BAI scales. SPSS 25.0 was used for statistical analysis. T-Test and Mann-Whitney-U tests were used for Independent Groups in paired comparison groups and Kruskal-Wallis tests in triple comparison groups.

Results: 58 of the participants were the healthcare workers of intensive care units with COVID-19 (+) patients. 22 of the participants were doctors, 43 were nurses, and 14 were other healthcare workers. It was found that 19 of the participants had poor sleep quality, 35 had depression, 51 had anxiety, and 44 had distress. Participants working in intensive care units with COVID-19 (+) patients were found to have higher DASS-S, BAI, and BDI scores than the participants working in other intensive care units (p <0.016, p <0.023, p <0.039, respectively). Doctors were found to have lower BDI scores than nurses and other healthcare workers (p <0.033, p <0.001, respectively), and the participants with COVID-19 symptoms were found to have higher mean BAI scores than those without COVID-19 symptoms (p <0.010).

Conclusion: The main findings of this study included that healthcare workers in intensive care units with COVID-19 (+) patients had higher levels of stress, anxiety, and depression, doctors had lower levels of depression than nurses and other healthcare workers, those with COVID-19 symptoms had higher anxiety levels. In the light of these findings, providing psychological and social support for the mental health of healthcare workers at the frontline departments such as intensive care units during the COVID-19 pandemic has a great importance. Remarkably, healthcare workers who are in direct contact with COVID-19 (+) patients should be evaluated in terms of depression, anxiety, and stress. There is a need for prospective studies with large samples to reveal the effects of psychological interventions on this issue.

No conflict of interest