A Mental Health Survey of Medical Professionals Working During the COVID-19 Pandemic at Shaukat Khanum Cancer Hospital, Lahore

Abstract

IntroductionThe last months of 2019 saw the emergence of a novel coronavirus, SARS-COV-2, capable of causing widespread disease in humans. The rapid spread of this new disease culminated in one of the biggest pandemics in known history. The far-reaching social, economical, and health effects of this pandemic are still unfolding on a global scale.Given the interconnectedness of social, environmental, and biological factors in manifesting psychiatric illnesses, it is fair to assume that the profound effects of this pandemic would likely increase the strain on mental healthcare systems.The objective of this study was to assess the mental health burden amongst healthcare workers at Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital and Research Center (SKMCH & RC) at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic and to identify any differences in the mental health scores of anxiety, depression, and sleep disturbance for professionals directly involved in the care of COVID-19 patients as compared to those who were not. Material and methodsThis was an observational cross-sectional clinical study that used self-reported questionnaires after approval from the hospital's ethical board. The sample size was calculated based on a study published previously by Huang using a 23.04% incidence of anxiety in medical staff. Depression was quantified using the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 score (PHQ-9), anxiety by the Beck Anxiety Inventory, and sleep quality using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index checklist (PSQI). A total of 221 healthcare workers who completed the questionnaires were included in the study and the results were analyzed using SPSS Statistics v. 23 (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY). Levene's test was used to assess the equality of variances, and an independent sample t-test and chi-square test were applied for the comparison of means. A one-way ANOVA test was used to compare means across more than two groups. ResultsOf the 221 healthcare workers recruited in the study, 57% were males, and 43% were females. Among the sample, 43% of participants were doctors, 27.1% were nurses, and others were technicians and medical assistants.It was observed that 50% of males and 36% of female healthcare workers experienced moderate to severe depression at the onset of the pandemic. Furthermore, 35% of males and 25% of females suffered from moderate to severe anxiety, and more than 80% of our study population reported poor quality of sleep. ConclusionThe present study reported a high prevalence of anxiety levels, depressive symptoms, and poor sleep quality among the healthcare professionals working in SKMCH & RC Lahore during the COVID-19 pandemic irrespective of direct contact with COVID-19 patients in a healthcare setting.

Professional Quality of Life and Psychological Impact on Frontline Healthcare Worker during the Fourth Wave of COVID-19

“…Te relevant published articles and scientifc literature on COVID-19 were examined to create a structured questionnaire [13,26]. Te questionnaire was administered in the English language, which is the ofcial language of Pakistan.…”

“…Te following items were used to test CS : 3, 6, 12, 16, 18, 20, 22, 24, 27, and 30. Items associated with burnout (items 1,4,8,10,15,17,19,21,26, and 29 of the ProQOL tool) and STS (items 2, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, 14, 23, 25, and 28) were included in order to quantify CF. A 5-point Likert scale was used to record responses to these questions, with 1 indicating never, 2 very rarely, 3 sometimes, 4 often, and 5 indicating very often [35].…”

“…Te debate over how the COVID-19 epidemic has afected mental health conditions has uncovered glaring gaps in the information that is currently available on the frequency of depression, anxiety, and sleep disturbance amongst HCWs. Terefore, it is essential to identify the mental health burden and deal with it appropriately [26].…”