Mental health status of health-care professionals working in quarantine and non-quarantine Egyptian hospitals during the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

Background: Variable models of care have been adopted in different countries in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Egypt has assigned certain hospitals specifically for the quarantine of COVID-19 patients, where operational medical teams work continuously for 14 days, after which they are released for self-isolation at home for a similar period. Aims: The study aimed to evaluate and compare perceived adverse psychological symptoms (stress, anxiety, depression), and insomnia by health-care professionals working in quarantine and non-quarantine hospitals during the COVID-19 pandemic in Egypt, and to explore associated factors with adverse psychological symptoms and insomnia. Methods: An online cross-sectional survey was performed in April 2020, using a snowball sampling method. Sociodemographic information perceived general health, healthy lifestyle, insomnia (using Insomnia Severity Index), adverse psychological symptoms (using the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale-21), worries and concerns about COVID-19, future perspective about COVID-19, and coping strategies were collected. Results: Five hundred and forty health-care professionals participated; 10.2% (n=55) worked in quarantine hospitals. Younger age (ORa=0.96, 95% CI:0.93-0.99, ORa=0.95; 95%

Mental health disorders among healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic: a cross-sectional survey from three major hospitals in Kenya

“…Age was significantly negatively correlated with mental health disorders which was similar to findings from other studies. 11 15 33 We observed higher overall percentages of depression, anxiety and insomnia among frontline HCWs taking care of patients with COVID-19 than have been found in similar studies conducted in higher income countries using the same validated scales and diagnostic criteria. 3 6 11-15 While methods of these studies vary slightly, this finding in our setting could be attributed to the limited resources and lack of mitigating strategies such as a formal mental health response plan, readily available mental health services, regulation of work hours and adequate medical resources in Kenya.…”

Factors Associated With Psychological Distress in Health-Care Workers During an Infectious Disease Outbreak: A Rapid Systematic Review of the Evidence

“…In HCW during the SARS outbreak, those with <10 years of experience reported higher levels of psychological distress, but not burnout or post-traumatic stress, 13-26 months after the outbreak (14). HCW who had less clinical experience were also more likely to experience stress during the COVID-19 outbreak (23,28,55,65,69,154). Years of clinical experience was not associated with PTSD symptoms, acute stress or anxiety, depression, mental health status, or burnout in 21 other studies (Table 2).…”

A closer look at the high burden of psychiatric disorders among healthcare workers in Egypt during the COVID-19 pandemic

“…This makes the SARS-CoV-2 a highly contagious disease, especially in health care settings [1,3]. In Egypt, the number of cases has been growing to reach around 158 thousand cases and 8,696 deaths by 20 th January 2021 [4]. Therefore, quarantine hospitals were constituted for COVID-19 cases following a care model under the supervision of the WHO.…”

“…Therefore, quarantine hospitals were constituted for COVID-19 cases following a care model under the supervision of the WHO. Health care workers (HCWs) stay at the different quarantine hospitals for a continuous 14-day-shift, followed by the performance of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing for COVID-19; to release the negative cases into further home isolation for another 14 days [4]. For HCWs with positive PCR results, they will be admitted to the same quarantine hospital to receive the appropriate medical care [4].…”