“Caring for the other is caring for me”
impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the mental suffering of nurses and doctors in a city in Northeastern Brazil
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5712/rbmfc18(45)3219Keywords:
Coronavirus infections, Pandemics, Psychological distress, Primary health care, Health personnel.Abstract
Introduction: In January 2020, SARS-CoV-2 virus was isolated in China as the cause of COVID-19 disease, later on disseminating globally as a pandemic. Primary health care (PHC) plays a crucial role in the global response to this threat, as it is one of the entrances for the public health system in Brazil, acting in coordenating health care as well, playing a crucial role in a prompt response to epidemics and outrbreaks. In this scenario, health care professionals working in PHC are potentially exposed to mental suffering, especially in a pandemic setting. Objective: To analyze the level of adverse mental health outcomes among health care professionals working ia a PHC setting, as well as possible relations between mental suffering and working during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: We conducted an epidemiological, cross-sectional, quantitative and exploratory study, in which an online survey was applied, investigating sociodemographic and occupational data, as well as assessing adverse mental health outcomes using the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K10), followed by statistical analysis of the data. Results: High risk for adverse mental health outcomes was found in 48.6% of respondents, with a mean of 66.8±21.7% of negative symptoms being related do COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, in the 30 days prior to the moment when each participant answered the “survey”, 73.4% (corresponding to 72.5% of nurses and 73.9% of doctors) reported a higher frequency than usual in the occurrence of feelings, investigated on the K10 scale. The average percentage of these feelings attributed to insecurities/uncertainties/fears related to the COVID-19 pandemic was 66.8% (with a standard deviation of ±21.7%). Almost all respondents (99.1%) considered it possible to transmit the infection to family members or close people. Thirty-seven of participants (33.94% of the study population) declared that they had used an anxiolytic or antidepressant in the 30 days before the survey was completed, prescribed by an assistant physician with whom they performed follow-up (19 participants), or by self-medication (18 participants). The cause of mental suffering was the possibility of transmitting COVID-19 to relatives. The was an association between high risk for adverse mental health outcomes and participants’ perception (total and doctors) of available personal protective equipment, while no other statistically significant associatoin was found. Conclusions: In a scenario of constant fear and potential risk of COVID-19 infection in this group of professionals, mental suffering in this group hovers as a permanent threat. It is important to adopt strategies to improve mental well-being of health care professionals working in a PHC setting, and also to carry out further studies on the subject.
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