Anxiety Level Assessment of Anesthesia Providers During COVID-19 Pandemic

Healthcare providers caring for acutely ill or critical patients are exposed to constant stressful situations that can lead to psychiatric manifestations. Depression and anxiety derived from stressful work environments can negatively impact the ability to perform at full capacity directly affecting the quality of care the patients receive.

The Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 infection created a sudden and deep crisis involving every sector worldwide not only affecting sick patients and the healthcare system but also the economy, politics, food, and drugs and social interactions.

Hospital workers have experienced the crisis first-hand and have witnessed constant death, a decrease in personal protective equipment supplies, exposure to contracting the virus, risk of contagion to others, and overburdened hospital capacity.

The aim of this study is to evaluate how the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has affected healthcare workers. Specifically, to evaluate levels of anxiety and identify factors contributing to anxiety on faculty, residents, and nurse anesthetists in our institution.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Anxiety
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: General Anxiety Disorder-7 scale

Detailed Description

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has affected multiple aspects of everyday life worldwide. Pandemics unleash a societal sense of fear and anxiety. Hence, the COVID-19 pandemic have had a profound impact on mental health. This has led to substantial research on this topic; however, literature evaluating the mental health effects of the pandemic on small groups of people is scarce. Healthcare workers have undergone significant psychological pressure and stress during viral surges of this pandemic. Furthermore, the levels of anxiety vary as the number of cases varies between regions and across time.

After approval by the Institutional Review Board (Protocol # 160167), a cross-sectional study was conducted to identify anxiety levels during the COVID-19 pandemic among anesthesia providers at our institution. The participants included Faculty anesthesiologists, anesthesiology residents, Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists, and Nurse Anesthetists students. Data were collected from August 26 to September 15, 2020. A questionnaire containing the General Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7) scale, followed by a set of questions with binary answers to evaluate the presence or absence of anxiety-related factors during the COVID-19 pandemic, was administered through direct approach and voluntary participation of the subjects.

• Study Type: Observational
• Enrollment (Actual): 105

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United States
  • Georgia
    • Augusta, Georgia, United States, 30912
      • Augusta University Medical Center

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Child; Adult; Older Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

• Sampling Method: Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

Anesthesiology providers at Augusta University Medical Center

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Anesthesiology providers at Augusta University Medical Center (AU) (Active resident enrolled in the Anesthesiology residency program of Augusta University, Anesthesiologist and Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist)
• Willingness to participate in the study

Exclusion Criteria:

• Refuses to participate

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Observational Models: Other
• Time Perspectives: Cross-Sectional

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
The anxiety levels on anesthesia providers measured by the General Anxiety Disorder 7 scale during COVID-19 pandemic.	General Anxiety Disorder 7 scale was used to measure anxiety levels.	one month

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
The association between specific factors such as level of training, occupation, age and gender and the presence of anxiety.	Specific factors and the association with the presence of anxiety was evaluated.	one month

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Augusta University
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Efrain Riveros-Perez, MD. MBA., Augusta University

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): August 1, 2020
• Primary Completion (Actual): September 1, 2020
• Study Completion (Actual): September 1, 2020

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: January 25, 2022
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: January 25, 2022
• First Posted (Actual): January 28, 2022

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): February 23, 2022
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: February 7, 2022
• Last Verified: February 1, 2022

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Anxiety; Coronavirus; COVID-19; Mental health
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Mental Disorders; Coronavirus Infections; Coronaviridae Infections; Nidovirales Infections; RNA Virus Infections; Virus Diseases; Infections; Respiratory Tract Infections; Respiratory Tract Diseases; Pneumonia, Viral; Pneumonia; Lung Diseases; COVID-19; Anxiety Disorders
• Other Study ID Numbers: 1601067

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: No

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No