Anxiety level of healthcare teams going to code blue during the COVID-19 pandemic process

Objective: In this study, it was prepared to investigate the level of anxiety of healthcare professionals when they go to code blue calls during the COVID-19 pandemic process. We believe that revealing the level of anxiety of healthcare professionals during code blue will lead to an increase in awareness on this issue and will also change the scope of measures to be taken for healthcare professionals to provide better service. Materials and Methods: The purpose of the study was explained to the health workers who participated in our survey after the approval of the local ethics committee of our hospital. This cross-sectional research sample included 215 healthcare professionals working in various provinces of Turkey between the ages of 18-65, who are actively working in the field of health during the COVID-19 pandemic. The data were collected through the links sent to the e-mail addresses of the people through the internet-based questionnaire created by the researcher. The Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) was used to assess the level of anxiety in the code blue practices of healthcare professionals in question number 24. The high total score indicates the high level of anxiety experienced by the person. Finally, questions were asked about whether there was a psychiatric illness in healthcare workers before the COVID-19 pandemic and during the pandemic, and whether they could cope with these diseases on their own. Result: According to the findings we obtained from our survey, 58.1% of the participants were women, 61.4% were married, 58.1% were between the ages of 23-34, 38.1% had been working in the health sector for more than 10 years. 20.9% of them lived at home with individuals who could be considered at risk for COVID-19 infection, 24.7% of the health workers had a chronic disease or disability that required continuous treatment. 68.8% of healthcare professionals stated that the level of PPE (personal protective equepment) is required for resuscitation in COVID-19 patients is sufficient in the institution where they work. Among the healthcare workers who went to code blue during the COVID-19 pandemic period, those who are married (0.001), those who live with individuals included in the group that may be at risk for COVID-19 infection (p:0.02), those who have a chronic disease or disability that require continuous treatment (p:0.027) ) and health workers with insufficient PPE in the institution they work for (p:0.032), anxiety symptoms were significantly higher as a result of BAI compared to other group. According to the results of our survey of 215 healthcare professionals, 5.1% had a psychiatric disease diagnosed before the pandemic, while this value increased to 17.2% during the epidemic (p:0.84). We have seen that the rate of psychiatric diseases requiring treatment during the COVID-19 pandemic period has increased significantly compared to the pre-pandemic period among male individuals (p:0,001) those working in public hospitals (p:0,049), those who are married (p:0,019), and specialist doctors (p:0.02). Conclusion: It should provide a new living space during the pandemic period in order to reduce the anxiety level of health workers living with people who can be considered at risk for COVID-19 infection at home or with their families. In-hospital courses or trainings on CPR for patients with COVID -19 should be organized more frequently. Health institutions should always be prepared for a pandemic that may occur, and the necessary equipment should be provided and continuity should be maintained. In order to reduce anxiety in health workers during the pandemic period and to provide better health care; Optimal working conditions and recovery programs, programs that support the activities required to provide the best physical, mental and social conditions seem necessary. Keywords: Code blue, personal protective equipment, healthcare workers, anxiety, Beck Anxiety Inventory.