Comparison of COVID-19 Pandemic-Related Stress among Frontline Medical Personnel in Daegu City, Korea

Abstract

Background and Objectives: Frontline medical staff usually experience high levels of stress, which could greatly impact their work output. We conducted a survey to investigate the level of stress and its association with job types, work departments, and medical centers among COVID-19 pandemic frontline medical personnel. Materials and Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional survey using a self-administered questionnaire among 307 frontline medical staff who cared for COVID-19 patients in Daegu city. We used a 33-item questionnaire to assess respondents’ general characteristics, job stress, personal effects associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, and their stress level. A general health questionnaire-12 (GHQ-12) was included in our questionnaire. Results: Majority (74.3%) of the respondents were in the stress group. The mean GHQ-12 score was 14.31 ± 4.96. More females (67.4%, p < 0.05) and nurses (73.3%, p = 0.001) were in the stress group compared to males and doctors. Medical staff in the general ward considered the severity of the COVID-19 pandemic situation higher. Nurses perceived work changes (p < 0.05), work burden (p < 0.05), and personal impact (p < 0.05) more serious than doctors. Medical staff in Level 3 emergency department (ED) perceived a lack of real-time information (p = 0.012), a lack of resources, and negative personal impacts associated with the pandemic as more serious than staff in Level 1 and Level 2 EDs. Medical staff in the intensive care unit perceived work changes (p < 0.05), work burden (p < 0.05), and lack of personal protective equipment (p = 0.002) as more serious than staff in the ED and general ward. Conclusion: Providing real-time information and resources for reducing work burden and negative personal impact is central to maximizing the work output of the COVID-19 pandemic frontline medical staff. Supporting their mental health through regular programs and intervention is also imperative.

High Work-Related Stress and Anxiety as a Response to COVID-19 Among Health Care Workers in South Korea: Cross-sectional Online Survey Study

“…Consistent with the findings of previous studies, we found that nursing professionals were more likely to feel stress or anxiety than other health care workers [ 15 , 16 , 20 , 29 , 30 ]. Nursing professionals are in crisis as they care for patients with infections, experience fear of infectious diseases, insufficient isolation-patient-care-systems, and ethical dilemmas [ 31 ].…”

High Work-related Stress and Anxiety Response to COVID-19 among Healthcare Workers: A Cross-Sectional Online Survey Study in South Korea

“…Consistent with previous studies, we also found that nursing professionals were more likely to feel stress or anxiety than other healthcare workers [14,15,19,27,28]. Nursing professionals are in crisis as they care for infected patients but experience fear of infectious diseases, insufficient isolation-patient-care-systems, and ethical dilemmas [29].…”

Assessment of psychological stress in emergency nurses: a descriptive study

“…This view is consistent with our study and the studies by Alyahya et al [15] and Farraji et al [16]. However, Romano et al [17] and Shin et al [18] also reported that the sociodemographic characteristics and work stress of nurses were correlated.…”