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Original Article
Nursing
Intensive care unit professionals during the COVID-19 pandemic in Spain: social and work-related variables, COVID-19 symptoms, worries, and generalized anxiety levels
Fernando J. García-Hedrera, Fernanda Gil-Almagro, F. Javier Carmona-Monge, Cecilia Peñacoba-Puente, Patricia Catalá-Mesón, Lilian Velasco-Furlong
Acute Crit Care. 2021;36(3):232-241.   Published online August 31, 2021
DOI: https://doi.org/10.4266/acc.2021.00213
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  • 8 Web of Science
  • 6 Crossref
AbstractAbstract PDF
Background
The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 outbreak has been identified as a pandemic and global health emergency. It presents as a severe acute respiratory disease. The rapid dissemination of the disease created challenges for healthcare systems and forced healthcare workers (HCWs) to deal with many clinical and nonclinical stresses. The aim of our research is to describe work conditions, symptoms experienced by HCWs, worries about contagion, and generalized anxiety symptoms and compare those findings across regions in Spain. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted using an online survey. Critical care units throughout Spain were included. The sample comprised HCWs working in intensive care units from March to May 2020. We assessed work variables, physical symptoms, worries about contagion, and anxiety (generalized anxiety disorder-7 questionnaire). Results: The final sample comprised 448 surveys. Among the respondents, 86.9% (n=389) were nursing professionals, and 84.8% (n=380) were women. All participants cared for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients during the study period. Workload during the pandemic in Madrid was judged to be higher than in other regions (P<0.01). The availability of personal protective equipment was found to be higher in Cataluña. The most frequently experienced symptom was headaches (78.1%). Worries about self-infection and the possibility of infecting others received mean scores of 3.11 and 3.75, respectively. Mean scores for generalized anxiety levels were 11.02, with 58.7% of the professionals presenting with generalized anxiety syndrome during the assessment. Conclusions: In this study, we found high levels of anxiety among HCWs caring directly for COVID-19 patients, which could produce long-term psychological alterations that still need to be assessed.

Citations

Citations to this article as recorded by  
  • From Anxiety to Hardiness: The Role of Self-Efficacy in Spanish CCU Nurses in the COVID-19 Pandemic
    Fernanda Gil-Almagro, Fernando José García-Hedrera, Francisco Javier Carmona-Monge, Cecilia Peñacoba-Puente
    Medicina.2024; 60(2): 215.     CrossRef
  • Cognitive appraisals and coping strategies of registered nurses in the emergency department combating COVID‐19: A scoping review
    Chia‐Hung Lin, Shu‐Fen Siao, You‐Jie Lin, Pin‐Hsien Hsin, Mack Shelley, Yen‐Han Lee
    Journal of Nursing Scholarship.2023; 55(1): 79.     CrossRef
  • The impact of pandemics on healthcare providers' workloads: A scoping review
    Gemma Doleman, Annemarie De Leo, Dianne Bloxsome
    Journal of Advanced Nursing.2023; 79(12): 4434.     CrossRef
  • Critical care medicine training in the age of COVID-19
    Walter Mickey
    Journal of Osteopathic Medicine.2023; 123(9): 427.     CrossRef
  • Psychological impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Spanish healthcare workers: a systematic review of prevalence and wave-based patterns
    Irene Jaén, Carolina Ausín, Diana Castilla
    Current Psychology.2023;[Epub]     CrossRef
  • The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on intensive care unit workers: a nationwide survey
    Sangeeta Mehta, Christopher Yarnell, Sumesh Shah, Peter Dodek, Jeanna Parsons-Leigh, Robert Maunder, Jessica Kayitesi, Catherine Eta-Ndu, Fran Priestap, Danielle LeBlanc, Jennifer Chen, Kimia Honarmand
    Canadian Journal of Anesthesia/Journal canadien d'anesthésie.2022; 69(4): 472.     CrossRef

ACC : Acute and Critical Care