Abstract
Objective: Infectious disease pandemics have negative psychological effects on the whole society and especially on the frontline healthcare workers fighting against the disease. COVID-19 pandemic was declared on March 11, 2020. In this study, our aim was to examine the level of anxiety related to the COVID-19 pandemic in healthcare professionals working in the field of Otorhinolaryngology.
Material and Methods: Sixty-three participants, namely otorhinolaryngology specialists, otorhinolaryngology nurses, audiometrists, and medical secretaries working in the otorhinolaryngology field were included in our study. An online questionnaire was sent to the participants. Our questionnaire consisted of demographic questions and questions to measure the anxiety level. We used the Coronavirus Anxiety Scale, a brief mental health scan, to identify possible cases of dysfunctional anxiety associated with the COVID-19 crisis, developed by Lee to assess the level of anxiety.
Results: In our study, when the COVID-19 anxiety levels of occupational groups working in the field of otorhinolaryngology were compared, we found that the anxiety levels of otorhinolaryngology nurses were generally higher among the occupational groups (p <0.05).
Conclusion: The group with the highest risk for COVID-19 is healthcare workers. Therefore it is important to reveal the mental health status of health workers. One of the primary goals of governments should be to take effective measures to reduce the anxiety of healthcare workers due to the pandemic.