• Oğuz Abdullah Uyaroğlu, Nursel Çalık Başaran, Lale Ozisik, Sevilay Karahan, TanrioverMine DurusuMDDepartment of Internal Medicine, Division of General Internal Medicine, Hacettepe University Faculty of Medicine, Ankara, Turkey., Gulay Sain Guven, and Serife Gul Oz.
• Department of Internal Medicine, Division of General Internal Medicine, Hacettepe University Faculty of Medicine, Ankara, Turkey.
• Intern Med J. 2020 Nov 1; 50 (11): 1350-1358.

BackgroundInternists who have an important role in the global response to the COVID-19 pandemic are under both physical and psychological pressures.AimsTo assess the anxiety among physicians working in the internal medicine department of a tertiary care hospital who are on the frontline of the COVID-19 pandemic.MethodsThis single-centre, non-intervention, cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted using an online survey questionnaire from 1 April to 14 April 2020. Physicians of the Department of Internal Medicine were invited to participate with a self-administered questionnaire. The degree of symptoms of anxiety was assessed by the Turkish versions of the 7-item Generalised Anxiety Disorder scale and Beck Anxiety Inventory, respectively.ResultsA total of 113 participants consented for the study and completed the questionnaire. The median age was 29 (IQR = 5) years and 53.1% were male. A total of 72 internists (63.7%) worked as 'frontline' healthcare workers directly engaged in diagnosing, treating or caring for patients with or suspected to have COVID-19. Female gender was significantly associated with high scores and levels in all scales compared to the male gender (P < 0.005). Having family members over 65 years old and with chronic diseases were significantly associated with high anxiety scores and levels (P < 0.005).ConclusionsIn this survey of internists in a university hospital equipped with clinics, wards and intensive care unit for patients with COVID-19, female gender and having family members over 65 years old and with chronic diseases were associated with increased anxiety levels.© 2020 Royal Australasian College of Physicians.

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