The Global Prevalence of Anxiety Symptoms Among Healthcare Workers Before and During COVID-19: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis (preprint)

Importance: The COVID-19 pandemic’s effect on the prevalence of anxiety symptoms among healthcare workers remains unclear. Hence, an investigation into their prevalence and the changes before and during the pandemic is needed. Objective: To provide a comprehensive summary of the prevalence of anxiety symptoms among healthcare workers internationally and to compare this before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Data Sources: A literature search was conducted using Medline, PubMed databases, and Embase for observational studies from their establishment in January 1963, January 1963, and January 1989, respectively, to August 2022. Study Selection: A standardized search strategy was applied to the databases with keywords assembled into three categories, including “healthcare workers”, “anxiety symptoms”, and “miscellaneous”. The inclusion criteria were: (I) evaluation of the prevalence of anxiety symptoms among healthcare workers employed in hospitals; (II) measured through validation tools or questionnaires; (III) published in English. The exclusion criteria were: (I) no overall prevalence of anxiety provided; (II) case series, case reports, intervention research, and commentaries. Data Extraction and Synthesis: The protocol was developed based on the PRISMA guidelines. The pooled prevalence and 95% confidence interval (CI) were estimated using a random effects model. Main Outcome(s) and Measure(s): The articles were analyzed according to subgroups divided based on the time of the studies conducted, participant occupations, locations, screening instruments, and publication years. Results: A total of 358 cross-sectional articles with 373 estimates from 65 countries were included. The overall prevalence of anxiety symptoms among healthcare workers was 41.4% (95% CI, 39.3-43.4). The prevalence of anxiety symptoms before and during the COVID-19 pandemic were 40.7% (95% CI: 34.1-47.3) and 41.2% (95% CI: 39.1-43.3), respectively. Compared with studies before the pandemic, a higher prevalence of anxiety symptoms was identified among nurses, residents, and physicians during the pandemic. Conclusions and Relevance: A considerable proportion of healthcare workers have experienced anxiety symptoms, with their global prevalence increasing during the COVID-19 pandemic. Further research is needed to determine effective prevention and treatment strategies, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic. Systematic review registration: CRD42022370819.

Optimization Design for Receiving Coil with Novel Structure Based on Mutual Coupling Model in Wireless Power Transmission for Capsule Endoscope

Wireless capsule endoscope (WCE) is a promising technology for noninvasive and painless imaging detection on gastrointestinal (GI) diseases. On the other hand, conventional endoscopes with wires could discomfort patients and cause them to vomit and aerosolize coronavirus if the patients are infected with COVID-19. However, there stands a technical bottleneck on power supply for the WCE. With the help of wireless power transmission technology, a hollow receiving coil (RC) is proposed to supply sufficient power and also minimize the size of WCE. A model on mutual inductance between transmitting and receiving coils is proposed to evaluate receiving power when the RC is in a different position and direction of patient’s GI tract. Based on the model, an optimal RC is built to obtain sufficient and stable power. Measurement of mutual inductance with the optimal RC validates high accuracy of the proposed model. The standard deviation of receiving power is very low. WCE with optimum RC gets sufficient power and captures images stably in live pig’s intestine tract. Additionally, the model is little affected by biological tissues. It ensures reliable performance of WCE and makes popular clinical application of WCE possible, which is also a relief to reduce epidemics like COVID-19.