ABSTRACT
Aim: The aim of this study is to investigate the anxiety levels of healthcare workers (HCWs) in hospitals in Istanbul, which is one of the cities most affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: The study was conducted online with 177 HCWs (127 doctors, 31 nurses, 15 paramedics, 4 health technicians) due to the pandemic. Beck Anxiety Invantory (BAI) was used for anxiety levels. Results: The anxiety levels of HCWs were found as 48% “minimal”, 23.7% “mild”, 17.5% “moderate”, 10.7% “severe”. The mean BAI score of other HCWs is from doctors (15.94 ± 12.776 vs 9.53 ± 8.868), the mean BAI score of women is from men (14.07 ± 10.899 vs 7.61 ± 8.681), for those who have no children, the mean BAI score is from those with a child (13.77 ± 11.713 vs 9.66 ± 9.260), and the mean BAI score of those who were over 65 years old or had a relative with chronic disease at home was higher than the others (14.11 ± 9.752 vs 10.44 ± 9.752) (p <0.05). The mean BAI score of those who did not examine COVID-19 patients were higher than the examiners (11.47 ± 10.693 vs 1.23 ± 10.394), and the mean BAI score of night shift workers (12.42 ± 11.063 vs 9.515 ± 9.255) than the others (p> 0.05). Conclusion: Healthcare workers actively working during the COVID-19 pandemic have high levels of anxiety. Working conditions of health workers should be improved and psychosocial support activities for them should be implemented continuously.