RESUMO
BACKGROUND: Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) became a significant challenge for the work and personal experience of physiotherapists (PTs). OBJECTIVE: To investigate how the work activities of PTs in a region in Italy have changed, describe the reasons for change, perceived competence, and effectiveness of professional education, and explore their personal experience. METHODS: We adopted a monocentric convergent mixed-methods light-questionnaire variant study. The questionnaire contains both closed-ended and open-ended questions. Quantitative and qualitative data were combined to interpret the results. RESULTS: Among 78 respondents (response rate 24.4%), 87.2% worked during the pandemic, 52.9% treated patients with COVID-19, and 45.6% changed their working activities. Professional competence was perceived as low in intensive and sub-intensive care settings. The major critical aspect of professional education was respiratory rehabilitation. Life-learning education was judged as effective, even if mainly focused on safety. Nine themes emerged from the analysis of the PTs' experiences: 1) Physiotherapy during COVID-19; 2) Fear and negative feelings; 3) Positive aspects; 4) Organization and management; 5) Prevention measures; 6) Patients; 7) Change; 8) Information; and 9) Professional education. CONCLUSIONS: PTs who have direct experience with patients with COVID-19 showed great resilience. They overcame the first phase of disorientation and fear, despite a specific lack of competence in the respiratory field.
RESUMO
The Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic continues to affect millions worldwide and has posed unique challenges to healthcare professionals. Caring for patients during a pandemic may have negative impacts on their mental health. We describe the first part of a study using a mixed-method sequential explanatory design (QUANTâQUAL). This quantitative part examines the experiences of healthcare professionals during the pandemic in a University Hospital in Italy. We performed a cross-sectional hospital-based survey involving all healthcare professionals between 19 May 2020 and 3 June 2020. Perceived Stress Scale, Patient Health Questionnaire, and General Anxiety Disorder scores were calculated, in order to assess how the pandemic emergency changed the occupational and social habits of the healthcare professionals. The mean age of the 275 respondents was 47 years and females accounted for 80.2%. A total of 29.8% had a Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) score ≥25, 22.9% scored ≥15 on the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) scale, and 17.1% scored ≥15 on the General Anxiety Disorder (GAD) scale. Stress symptoms were mostly manifested for interviewees over 55, females, those who live far from their family, those who have only one child, and those who had a qualification lower than high school or who had a medical specialization. Our findings show a relevant level of psychological distress, anxiety, and depression in up to 30% of the sample, highlighting a significant psychological burden in all professionals.