HEALTHCARE WORKERS PSYCHOLOGICAL DISTRESS At EARLY PHASE OF THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC IN MOROCCO

ABSTRACT

IntroductionThe mental being of healthcare workers with the COVID 19 pandemic is a determinant of their resilience. We investigated the psychological impact of health workers during early phase of Covid 19 pandemic in Morocco. MethodsThis was a cross-sectional study based on a survey of health workers of the Rabat University Hospital Ibn-Sina in Morocco. Data were collected during the first week of health emergency state -between 23 and 30 march-related to the covid-19 pandemic declaration in Morocco. Sociodemographic, health characteristics and professional characteristics of each health worker were collected. We also evaluated the knowledge of health workers concerning the protective measures against COVID 19. The mental health status of the health workers was investigated using the Arabic validated version of HADS 14 items, evaluating hospital anxiety and depression ResultsTwo hundred eighty-seven health workers were included.The mean age was 34.4{+/-}12.18 year; and 64.5% were female, 54% have been trained regarding protection procedures, and 94.8% declared that they are aware of individual protection measures. The incidence of anxiety and depression was respectively 77.4% and 73.9%. High degree of anxiety and depression was associated with female gender. However, Higher degree of anxiety was also related to function, specialty of practice, and knowledge of the protective measures against COVID-19. ConclusionWe reported the result of the first evaluation of psychological burden of health worker during early period of COVID-19 pandemic in a developing country. The study showed high frequency of anxiety and depression among Moroccan health worker in a hospital faced to COVID-19 patient management.