Impact of the COVID‐19 pandemic on stress and sleep in emergency room professionals

Abstract

Aims andObjectives: To analyze stress levels, sleep quality, sleepiness and chronotypes on emergency room (ER) professionals before and during the COVID-19. Background: ER healthcare professionals are exposed to high stress levels, and they often present with poor sleep quality. Design: Observational study conducted into two different phases (before the COVID-19 and during the first wave of the COVID-19). Method: Physicians, nurses and nursing assistants working in the ER were included. Stress, sleep quality, daytime sleepiness and chronotypes were assessed by the Stress Factors and Manifestations Scale (SFMS), the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS), and the Horne and Österberg Morningness-Eveningness questionnaire, respectively. The first phase of the study was performed between December 2019 and February 2020, and the second between April and June 2020. The STROBE checklist was used to report the present study.Results: In total, 189 ER professionals in the pre-COVID-19 phase and 171 (of the initial 189) during COVID-19 were included. The proportion of workers with a morning circadian rhythm increased during the COVID-19, and stress levels were significantly higher during COVID-19 compared to the previous phase (38.34 ± 10.74 vs. 49.97 ± 15.81). ER professionals with poor sleep quality presented higher stress in

Excessive daytime sleepiness in nursing technicians: association with sleep quality and memory

“…No studies carried out in a national context that assessed EDS in nursing professionals during the COVID-19 pandemic were identified. The COVID-19 pandemic influenced EDS among nursing technicians due to several factors, such as increased psychological stress, increased exposure to the virus, workload and changes in sleeping and life habits ( 22 , 24 ) . Hence, there is a need for longitudinal monitoring of these professionals with the aim of assessing the impact resulting from exposure to factors arising from the pandemic on nursing technicians’ physical and mental health.…”

“…Não foram identificados estudos realizados em contexto nacional que avaliaram a SDE em profissionais da enfermagem durante a pandemia de covid-19. A pandemia de covid-19 influenciou a SDE entre os técnicos de enfermagem por diversos fatores, como o aumento do estresse psicológico, aumento da exposição ao vírus, carga de trabalho e alterações dos hábitos de sono e de vida ( 22 , 24 ) . Nesse sentido, há a necessidade do acompanhamento longitudinal desses profissionais com o objetivo de avaliar o impacto resultante da exposição aos fatores oriundos da pandemia para a saúde física e mental dos técnicos de enfermagem.…”

Sleep disorder experienced by healthcare nurses after terminating Zero-COVID-19 policy

“…The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in an unprecedented challenge for society, especially in the healthcare sector [ 2 ]. This situation has entailed great responsibility for health workers, translating into both physical and psychological high pressure due to their exposure to the disease with a fear of contamination and the extra effort required to adapt their usual work routine to the new hospital conditions caused by the pandemic, such as wearing personal protective equipment, attending extremely ill patients, working irregular hours [ 3 ]. On 2022 November, the Chinese government optimized the epidemic prevention and control policy, and ending ‘Zero-COVID-19’ policy and mandatory quarantine measures [ 4 ].…”