Evaluation of chronotype, sleep quality, fatigue and psychological well-being of healthcare professionals working in pandemic hospitals

INTRODUCTION AND PURPOSE: Healthcare workers, who fulfill their duties with altruistic feelings, are the professional group most affected by the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic period. This study aimed to examine the chronotype, sleep quality, fatigue and psychological well-being of healthcare workers working in a pandemic hospital. MATERIAL AND METHOD: The study was conducted at Sakarya Yenikent State Hospital between September and December 2021. The population of the study consisted of 319 healthcare workers working in the pandemic hospital. Personal Information Form, Piper Fatigue Scale, Morningist-Evening Scale, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Scale and Psychological Well-Being Scale were used to collect the data. SPSS 26.0 was used to analyze the data. FINDINGS: Among a total of 314 health workers working in different units and branches, 65.6% of whom were women, 48.4% reported having intermediate chronotype, 79% reported having poor sleep quality, 82.2% reported having severe fatigue, and the mean score of the Psychological Well-Being Scale was calculated as 32.18. It was concluded that participants with an evening chronotype, working in emergency services or in shifts of 16 hours or more, had the highest level of fatigue and the lowest level of sleep quality and psychological well-being. When the relationship between the variables was examined, a positive relationship was found between fatigue level and sleep quality, while a significant negative relationship was observed with psychological well-being level. RESULTS: In our study, it was concluded that sleep quality, fatigue level and psychological well-being levels of healthcare workers working in a pandemic hospital were negatively affected. It is thought that making the necessary arrangements to minimize the negative effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on healthcare workers will contribute to individual, institutional and social benefit.