Determination of the effect of COVID-19 pandemic on the anxiety levels and life quality of healthcare workers

Abstract

Objective: This study was conducted to determine the effects of the interventions made to prevent the COVID-19 pandemic on the anxiety level and life quality of healthcare workers. Materials and Methods: The study is a descriptive one, and the data were collected online using the Google Forms application. The Information Form including 15 questions, the Beck Anxiety Scale, and Short Form-36 (SF-36) Life Quality Scale were used to collect data. Five hundred and eight healthcare workers participated in the study. Statistical significance was set as p<0.05. The findings showing statistically significant differences were evaluated using the Games-Howel Post-hoc test. Results: The study revealed that 81.3% of the healthcare workers are worried about their own health during the COVID-19 pandemic. It has been found that 38% of the healthcare workers have been experiencing a shortage of protective equipment in the hospital where they work. As far as worrying about one’s own health during the pandemic is concerned, it was found that there was a statistically significant difference between the Beck Anxiety Scale mean scores and the SF-36 Life Quality Scale mean scores. Conclusion: Our study revealed that the anxiety levels of healthcare workers were low during the pandemic and their quality of life was high. It should be foreseen that pandemics such as COVID-19 may also occur in the future, and the psychological effects on healthcare workers should be monitored during pandemics. Keywords: COVID-19, Healthcare worker, Anxiety, Life quality