Level of General Stress in Doctors Community in Pre and Post Covid-19 Scenario in Different Hospitals of Pakistan

ABSTRACT

Objectives: To find out the level of stress among the doctor community before and during the COVID-19 pandemic in different public sector hospitals. Study Design: Cross-sectional study. Place and Duration of Study Divisional Headquarters DHQ Teaching Hospital, Sahiwal Pakistan and two Public Sector Hospitals at Okara and Islamabad Pakistan, from Aug 2019 to Aug 2020. Methodology: A total of 320 doctors in two Groups were included in the study. Group-1 included 197 doctors in pre-COVID-19 time i-e from Aug 2019 to Jan 2020, while Group-2 included 123 doctors working in the COVID-19 scenario. The stress was assessed according to responses on a structured questionnaire and patient health questionnaire (PHQ-9) scores. Results: Three hundred and twenty doctors participated in the study, out of which 78(39.8%) doctors in the First Group and 49(40.4%) in Second Group developed depression during their duties. More female doctors participated in the study, most of whom were young doctors who were actively involved in COVID-19 patients. Conclusion: There is no significant rise in stress among the doctors working in the COVID-19 situation in public sector hospitals of Pakistan. © 2022, Army Medical College. All rights reserved.