Prevalence and Influencing Factors of Anxiety in Healthcare Professionals in Hemodialysis During the COVID-19 Pandemic

ABSTRACT

Objective: During the COVID-19 pandemic, working in hemodialysis (HD) can be a source of anxiety. In this study, the anxiety status of HD healthcare professionals (HCPs) during the COVID-19 pandemic and the associated factors were investigated. Materials and Methods: The data were collected through a web-based questionnaire. The questionnaire consisted of 3 parts (1) demographic features, (2) questions about the causes and consequences of anxiety, and (3) general anxiety disorder-7 survey. Results: One hundred eighty-three HCPs completed the survey, mostly nurses and dialysis technicians (71.6%). Two-thirds of the participants stated that preventive measures increase workload and cause physical harm (68.3%, 62.3%). One-third of participants reported a lack of communication with the patients and a decrease in desire to work (31.1%, 35.6%). A-moderate-severe anxiety was detected in 24.6%. Physical contact with infected people, being physically harmed by -preventive measures, decreased desire to work, and a lack of communication with the patients were found to be -significantly more in participants with anxiety (P = .036, P < .001, P < .001, P < .001). In multivariate analyzes, being -physically harmed by preventive measures was the only risk factor for anxiety (OR = 7.423, CI 2.050-26.877, P = .002). Conclusion: During the pandemic period, anxiety was observed in one-fourth of HCPs. Being physically harmed by preventive measures is the only risk factor for anxiety.