Publication:

Psychological implications of COVID-19 pandemic among health care professionals of Madhya Pradesh India

Background The rapid spread of the COVID-19 pandemic has loaded remarkable psychological stress on people around the world, predominantly the Health Care Professionals (HCPs). The present study aimed to assess anxiety and fear of getting infected among HCPs working during the current viral outbreak. Also, doctors' knowledge about various practice modifications to combat the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak has been evaluated.

Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted on Health care professionals (HCPs) of Madhya Pradesh India using an online survey. A pretested and pre-validated questionnaire was designed on Google forms and link generated was shared through social media. A total of 320 doctors from different cities of Madhya Pradesh have participated in the study. A Chi-Square and Spearman Correlation test was applied using SPSS version 25.

Results Present Study reveals that more than two-thirds of HCPs (80%) were anxious and worried about the overwhelming effect of COVID-19. Among HCPs, dental professionals (61%) unfolded greater fear and anxiety level than the medical professionals. The majority of participants (92%) were updated with good knowledge and awareness of recent changes in the treatment protocols regarding the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the implementation of modifying treatment protocol was recorded as 71%.

Conclusions High psychosomatic implications of COVID -19 outbursts were seen in HCPs while working in their respective fields. So providing psychological first aid is a significant care component for populations that have been victims of emergencies and disasters.