The COVID-19 pandemic has led to a surge of mental health disturbances and the subsequent use of various mind-body therapies. Although evidence supports the benefits of yoga for mental health in a variety of disease states, information on its effects among healthcare workers during the COVID-19 epidemic is scarce. Therefore, this study evaluated and compared the efficacy of relaxation to music and yoga nidra on the mental health of frontline healthcare workers during the pandemic. This open-label randomized trial was conducted at a Level III COVID-19 care center. In the Relaxation-to-Music Group, participants received deep relaxation music, whereas those in the Yoga Nidra Group performed yoga nidra practices; both interventions were delivered through a YouTube platform and were to be done daily for 30 minutes during the healthcare workers’ 2-week duty periods. The primary outcomes were measured using scores of the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ)–9, Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)–7 scale, and Insomnia Severity Index (ISI) at the end of the duty period. A total of 79 healthcare workers were randomly divided into two groups: (1) Relaxation-to-Music (n = 40) and (2) Yoga Nidra (n = 39). Demographics; clinical characteristics; and PHQ-9, GAD-7, and ISI scores of the two groups were comparable at baseline. In the Yoga Nidra Group, PHQ-9 scores decreased significantly (5.17 ± 4.25 to 3.03 ± 2.40, p = 0.002) compared to the Relaxation-to-Music Group (5.68 ± 4.73 to 4.34 ± 2.90, p = 0.064). Similarly, GAD-7 scores decreased significantly in the Yoga Nidra Group (4.93 ± 3.27 to 2.33 ± 2.56, p < 0.001) compared to the Relaxation-to-Music Group (4.84 ± 3.94 to 4.03 ± 3.56, p = 0.123). ISI scores also decreased significantly in the Yoga Nidra Group (6.10 ± 3.53 to 3.03 ± 2.88, p < 0.001) compared to the Relaxation-to-Music Group (6.09 ± 5.37 to 5.93 ± 5.95, p = 0.828). In this study, yoga nidra practice was more helpful than relaxation to music in reducing depression, anxiety, and insomnia among frontline COVID-19 healthcare workers during their duty periods.

Trauma is a major public health problem across the world with significant morbidity and mortality. Broadly, it is a disease of middle-aged population and is assuming the status of an epidemic in the 21st century. Road traffic injuries are most common followed by railway injuries, industrial, farming, and domestic injuries, and many others in low- and middle-income countries. Severe traumatic brain injuries are the major proportion with concern for long-term cognitive impairment and high spinal cord injuries due to complete dependence. There is no comprehensive trauma care system covering all geography in India at present. The Government of India (GOI), in 2006, established Jai Prakash Narayan Apex Trauma Center, which is run by All India Institute of Medical Sciences at New Delhi as an apex center to provide quality care, training, research, and registry development. It acts as a role model center for the establishment of new centers and helps in upgradation of existing hospitals to provide quality care trauma services. To curb this epidemic of trauma, GOI envisioned National Trauma Care program during the 11th and 12th Five-Year Plans to strengthen the emergency facilities in government hospitals. Many new centers are coming up with various levels of trauma care across the country. Here we discuss the establishment, resources, initial challenges, trauma burden, and a year of report card of the Uttar Pradesh’s first Level I Apex Trauma Center of Sanjay Gandhi Postgraduate Institute of Medical Sciences, Lucknow, established with a vision of providing state of the art Level I trauma care to the injured victims.

A bstract Background Long-lasting physical, cognitive, and mental health sequelae including depression and anxiety are common in intensive care unit (ICU) survivors. Aim This study was aimed to assess the immediate and medium-term mental health sequelae—depression and anxiety among coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) ICU survivors. Materials and methods The COVID-19 ICU survivors of a tertiary level ICU were recruited into this study from 1 July 2020 to 31 October 2020. Willing participants were circulated with an electronic questionnaire. It consisted of demographics and questionnaires related to COVID-19 disease, comorbidities, and a patient health questionnaire (PHQ-9) scale for depression, and generalized anxiety disorder (GAD-7) scale for anxiety. Responses were collected at the time of discharge. Follow-up was done at 2 weeks and 6 months. Results Among the 133 COVID-19 ICU survivors contacted, 91 survivors submitted the baseline data at the time of discharge. Fourteen and another 11 survivors were lost to follow-up at 2 weeks and at 6 months. The median age was 52.75 and 68.1% ( n = 62/91) were male. The median PHQ-9 and GAD-7 scores showed a statistically significant decrease at 2 weeks and a non-significant decrease at 6 months compared to baseline scores. The GAD-7 score was the same or worse between baselines to 2 weeks, but it reduced between baseline to 6 months for all variables and their subgroups. Conclusion This study revealed a high prevalence of anxiety and depression in the immediate post-discharge period. These findings suggest the need for better mental rehabilitation strategies to deal with the well-being of critically ill survivors in future pandemics. How to cite this article Gunjiganvi M, Rai S, Awale RB, Mishra P, Gurjar M, Gupta D, et al . Depression and Anxiety among COVID-19 Indian Intensive Care Unit Survivors: A Prospective Observational Study. Indian J Crit Care Med 2022;26(12):1267–1274.

No abstract