Concerns and stress-related problems among medical personnel during COVID-19 lockdown phase in a general hospital in Mumbai

• Main Authors: Neena Sawant, Aditya Shah, Shaunak Mangeshkar, Aishwarya Thakurdesai, Amey Angane, Sachin Mahajan
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications 2020-01-01
• Series: Annals of Indian Psychiatry
• Subjects: concerns; covid-19; medical personnel; pandemic; stress
• Online Access: http://www.anip.co.in/article.asp?issn=2588-8358;year=2020;volume=4;issue=2;spage=208;epage=214;aulast=Sawant

Background: COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in heightened stress, anxiety, and depression in doctors. This research was undertaken during the lockdown period in Mumbai to study the differences in perceptions of the various concerns related to the pandemic, viz., concerns related to area of residence, workplace, personal, and educational and stress faced by the 3 groups of health-care workers, medical interns, resident doctors, and medical teachers, during the pandemic. Materials and Methods: 1011 residents participated in this online cross-sectional survey after informed consent and ethics approval and 494 completed the survey via a Google Form sent on the WhatsApp groups. Results: Significant differences were noted with interns and residents staying in COVID hotspots, sealed homes, being ostracized, and having difficulty in procuring food as compared to the teachers. Workplace concerns significantly revealed that 90% interns and residents had training before duty, wore personal protective equipment, had difficulty in donning, doffing, were uncomfortable, anxious about being dehydrated, and used frequent sanitizer as compared to teachers. Interns and residents were also significantly anxious about not following social distancing, being preoccupied about the same, and having sleep problems as compared to teachers. They also were concerned about financial issues, travel plans, exams, and missing skill training as compared to teachers. Conclusion: It highlights the difficulties faced by the participants during the lockdown and its impact on their emotional well-being.