ABSTRACT
Introduction: This study aims to determine the sleep quality and its relationship with anxiety and depressive symptoms, working conditions and other factors among the frontline pulmonologists on active duty during the COVID-19 pandemic. Method: An online survey was conducted among pulmonologists in Turkey. The survey link was e-mailed to the members of the professional societies of pulmonologists. The volunteers were asked to fill in questions about their sociodemographics, medical and psychiatric history, working and housing conditions, perceived levels of support during the pandemic, as well as the sleep habits before the pandemic. Also, questions investigating the severity/level of their worries were inquired and they were asked to fill in two scale forms (the Hospital Anxiety Depression Scale and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index-PSQI). Results: The sample consisted of 179 pulmonologists who were divided into two groups according to PSQI as good sleepers (PSQI ≤5) and poor sleepers (PSQI >5). It was observed that 59.2% of the participants had poor sleep quality during the pandemic. Being anxious (p<0.0001, Odds ratio [OR]=0.139, 95% Confidence Interval [CI] [0.052-0.372]), working in intensive care unit (p=0.046, OR=2.363, 95% CI [1.015-5.497]), worry level about excessive increase of the number of patients above the capacity of the institution they worked in (p=0.018, OR=1.755, 95% CI [1.102-2.794]) and being dissatisfied with ones' sleep before the pandemic (p<0.016, OR=0.272, 95% CI [0.094-0.786]) were found to be the main factors that negatively affected the quality of sleep of pulmonologists during the pandemic. Conclusion: More than half of the pulmonologists in our sample group had low sleep quality during the pandemic. For establishing a good sleep regime for clinicians, its crucial to consider certain interventions on the affecting factors.
ABSTRACT
Objective: Anxiety, stress and burnout are observed in healthcare workers during the Covid-19 pandemic. This study aimed to determine the levels of anxiety and burnout and related risk factors in the healthcare workers and assistant personnel at a tertiary referral university hospital. Method: Hospital Anxiety Depression Scale (HADS), Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) and a sociodemographic questionnaire were delivered online to all employees of our hospital. 683 individuals were to the study who completed and returned the forms between April 15-30, 2020. Results: Stress, depression and anxiety levels were significantly higher in nurses. Emotional burnout and depersonalization symptoms were higher and personal accomplishment scores were lower in resident physicians and nurses in comparison to the other groups. Being single, having a child and living away from home were factors underlying the burnout severity. Frontline work in the Covid-19 clinics did not affect the levels of anxiety, stress and depression. On the basis of the cut off points of the HADS scores;anxiety disorder (OR: 7.19) and depression (OR 3.43) were the most relevant risk factors for emotional exhaustion. Anxiety disorder was also the main risk factor for depersonalization. Depersonalization was 2.7- fold more among the nurses complaining of being overworked. Social support from the work environment and the family was protective against depersonalization. Conclusion: Covid-19 pandemic has adversely affected the wellbeing of healthcare workers. The presence of depression and anxiety increased the risk of burnout. Social support can be expected to protect against burnout. It is, therefore, of great importance to implement urgently effective psychosocial and organizational interventions in order to protect the mental health of healthcare workers and to prevent burnout. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)
ABSTRACT
The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted scientific gatherings and conferences, opening up opportunities for virtual learning platforms. Realizing the potential of online academic exchanges, the World Psychiatric Association (WPA) also developed virtual avenues and information systems for capacity building of mental health professionals across the world. Among its first such initiatives, the WPA organized a virtual Train the Trainers workshop, where 123 psychiatrists, psychiatric trainees, and educators from 45 countries participated. The innovative and interactive workshop allowed participants to get to know each other, exchange educational and professional experiences, and ask questions or receive advice from experts. Keynote speakers, including WPA President Prof. Afzal Javed and Prof. Norman Sartorius, stressed upon the importance of finding innovative solutions in psychiatry training and the need to improve teaching and training in the field of psychiatry, especially in the provision of leadership and communication skills. Online training methods can provide easy access to academics and students while reducing the organizational and logistical costs. They have the potential to improve educational equality and allow the voice of the underprivileged scientists to be heard across the globe. The devastating impact on access to mental health services during COVID-19 underscores the urgent need for online training, particularly in countries where the ratio of psychiatrists to patients is inadequate and doctors concentrate more on treatment than on research and education. Virtual educational interventions could prove incredibly useful in the future just as they are being successfully utilized in local and regional contexts during the pandemic.