Background: Anxiety and depression are under reported, underdiagnosed mental illness in health worker in Nepal especially during COVID pandemic. The study was carried out as an observational study on nurses in Nepal. In this study we attempted to assess the incidence and impact of depression and anxiety in nurses who are working upfront in different hospitals during this crisis. Objective: The purpose of the study is to assess the prevalence of anxiety and depression among nurses in Nepal during COVID pandemic who are working in various hospitals. Method: A cross-sectional non-probability purposive sampling with observational analysis was carried out and the sample was collected from nurses working in different hospitals. Prevalence of anxiety and depression was assessed using a structured and validated questionnaire. Anxiety was assessed with the Hamilton Anxiety Scale (HAM-A), General Anxiety Disorder Questionnaires (GAD) with a cut-off score for various levels of anxiety while Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAM-D) was used to assess depression. Result: The analysis of these different scales revealed that disabling anxiety prevailed at highest (43.6%) in nursing staff according to HAM-A scale. Moderate anxiety also seemed to be higher (> 20%) in GAD questionnaire. Conclusion: This is the first study carried out in Nepal that investigates the mental health of nurses who are working in the frontline in this COVID pandemic situation. The study revealed that our nurses who have given their life in the line are suffering from serious mental health problems.

Objectives: The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic and news of daily increasing cases inside Nepal and worldwide is adding to the fear that leads to anger, anxiety, frustration, and stress, emotions that directly affect sleep quality. This study aimed to assess sleep disturbances during the COVID-19 pandemic in a Nepalese population.Methods: This cross-sectional study recruited 206 Nepali residents who completed anonymous self-administered questionnaires. The Insomnia Severity Index (ISI) questionnaire was used to measure sleep disturbances before and after the COVID-19 pandemic. The gathered data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and inferential statistics using SPSS version 20 statistical software.Results: There was a significant variation in sleep disturbances among Nepalese residents before versus after the COVID-19 pandemic (p<0.001). The prevalence of clinical moderate insomnia has increased tremendously in Nepalese individuals. Before the pandemic’s onset, only 3.9% of the participants had moderate to severe levels of clinical insomnia; after its onset, this value increased to 17.5%. The mean ISI scores were 6.35±4.65 and 8.01±6.01 before and after the pandemic’s onset, respectively.Conclusions: Our study findings suggest that people are suffering tremendously with sleep disturbances and calls for further research and active measures to help increase sleep quality during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Background Functional decline is an essential criterion for the clinical diagnosis of dementia. Functional decline is assessed by activities of daily living, which consist of Basic Activities of Daily Living (BADL) and Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADL). IADL (e.g., cooking, taking medications, handling finances) is more complex as it requires multiple cognitive processes whereas BADL (e.g., bathing, dressing and toileting) can be performed with the support of habits and routines. IADL are more likely to be vulnerable to the early effects of cognitive decline, thus being the first indication of cognitive deterioration. Various functional assessment tools are available to assess instrumental activities of daily living; however, there is no culturally appropriate functional assessment tool for the Indigenous population. As activities of daily living differ across cultures, the tool developed to assess activities of daily living in one culture cannot assess it in another culture. Also, the existing IADLs are influenced by gender and socio‐cultural factors. Thus, we aim to develop a culturally‐grounded functional assessment tool to be used in Indigenous communities. Method The study will use a community‐based participatory approach to develop a functional assessment tool. An Indigenous community advisory group will be engaged in the research process. A focus group will be conducted with the Indigenous and non‐Indigenous health service providers working with Indigenous communities and in‐depth interviews with the care partner. The qualitative data on the perspectives, personal and professional experiences of health service providers, and the care partner's lived experiences will be analyzed using community‐engaged thematic analysis with the community advisory group's volunteer. The developed tool will undergo several iterative processes from experts and community advisory groups to reach a consensus on the final tool. Result We are establishing relationships with the Indigenous communities as a partner which is an initial step of conducting research in an Indigenous way. The community advisory group formed through this relationship will be engaged meaningfully in every research process step. Conclusion This tool will be the first to be designed with and for the Indigenous care partners in Canada, which will promote a culturally safe assessment environment for diagnosis of dementia.