ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Paramedical personnel are in direct contact with COVID-19 patients and function in a high-stress environment, contributing to the development of psychological distress. The present study aimed to examine levels of stress, anxiety, and depression among prehospital paramedics caring for suspected and confirmed COVID-19 patients. METHODS: This cross-sectional study was conducted in 72 prehospital emergency centers (city and road) affiliated with Kerman University of Medical Scielices, Kerman, Iran. Using the standard DASS-21 Questionnaire, levels of stress. anxiety, and depression were assessed in paramedics (N.=254). Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics (Mean, SD, frequency, percentage) and analytic statistics such as Kolmogorov-Smimov, Mann Whitney and Kruskal Wallis tests. Statistical analysis was performed through SPSS 20 (IMB, Armonk. NY, USA). RESULTS: The mean scores for depression (6.30 +/- 4.91). stress (8.71 +/- 1:4.73) and anxiety (5.32 +/- 5.23) in paramedical personnel were at moderate levels. A significant difference was observed when considering level of education, work experience, work position and duty hours per month (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Pre-hospital professionals arc more exposed to numerous stressors, including the emotional strain of direct patient care. dangerous working conditions, and a higher workload as compared with other occupations, especially during this pandemic. Periodic mental health assessment of paramedics can play an important role in improving the quality of services provided to their communities, particularly during challenging times.
ABSTRACT
InTrodUcTIon: COVID-19 is an extremely contagious disease that has led to a global pandemic. Control of this pandemic requires community awareness and adherence to preventive behaviors. The aim of this review is to investigate the knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) of the Iranian public towards the COVID-19 pandemic. MATerIAL And MeTHods: This review was conducted according to the PRISMA guidelines. Databases including Magiran, SID, ISC, Scopus, PubMed, Web of Science, Cochrane, ProQuest, Science Direct, and Google Scholar were searched for literature. The searches were conducted in both Farsi and English without any time limit until the end of December 2020. The research question and inclusion and exclusion criteria were designed according to the PICO. For qualifying studies, the NOS checklist was used. We used narrative synthesis for synthesizing the entered studies. resULTs: 138 studies were found during the initial search, of which 13 were systematically reviewed. All studies identified had a cross-sectional design and used researcher-designed tools for data collection. Overall, 11 111 people (4900 men and 6211 women) from the public population of Iran were included. concLUsIons: The majority of Iranians studied had appropriate (KAP) regarding COVID-19 precautions. Policymakers should continue public health education measures. Copyright © 2021 Via Medica.