Depression and anxiety levels of Ankara University Medical Faculty Hospital staff in the COVID-19 pandemic

Introduction Healthcare professionals who undertake the diagnosis and treatment processes of the disease have important duties and responsibilities during the pandemic period, and the protection of the mental health of healthcare professionals is important for the functioning of the healthcare system. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the anxiety and depression risk levels of hospital staff in the Covid-19 pandemic. Material and methods This study was completed between April 1 2021 and June 1 2021, with 258 people, aged between 18-67, who are staff of Ankara University school of Medicine Hospitals and who agreed to participate voluntarily in the study. Data from the literature were used in the creation of the survey. The survey includes sociodemographic characteristics and questions about Covid-19. Depression and anxiety levels of the participants were evaluated using the 14 questions Hospital Anxiety-Depression Scale. Results The average age of 258 personnel included in the study is 36.7 years, 69.4% of them are women. Most participants have a high school education level or higher. 29.82% of the participants stated that they did not have sufficient personal protective equipment and 35.7% did not receive training on Covid-19 infection. According to the HAD scale results, 42.2% of the participants in our study were in the risk group for anxiety with a score of 10 and above, and 58.1% were in the risk group for depression with a score of 7 and above. 81.7% of those in the anxiety risk group were women and a significant difference was found. Those who had an increase in social media use, did not receive adequate PPE and needed psychological support during the pandemic were in the risk group for depression and anxiety than other groups. When the emotional states of the participants were questioned, 77.5% stated that they 16 felt afraid of infecting others with Covid-19, 72.5% stated that they were away from family elders, 65.9% feared losing their relatives, and 63.3% were isolated from social life. Conclusion Healthcare workers have been psychologically affected by the Covid-19 pandemic much more than the community, and early intervention, appropriate working environment and adequate of personal protective equipment are important to protect mental health.It is necessary to take steps to reduce the depression and anxiety levels of healthcare workers in the high-risk group.