Knowledge of healthworkers about COVID-19 and it´s association with their perception of stress in time of epidemic

Zbog novonastale situacije s epidemijom COVID-19 svijet se suočava s novim izazovom i neprijateljem. Suočeni s ovim virusom, zdravstveni djelatnici se nalaze na prvoj crti borbe protiv njega. To iziskuje od njih da sad budu spremni na nove scenarije i nove situacije s kojima se još nisu susreli. Promjene radnog vremena, radnog mjesta, navika u nošenju zaštitne opreme i pristupa pacijentima samo su neki od izazova. Sve to utječe na samog zdravstvenog djelatnika te se javlja stres koji je neizbježan faktor i rezultat borbe s epidemijom. U radu je sudjelovalo 304 medicinskih sestri i tehničara koji rade na različitim odjelima i zdravstvenim ustanovama u samom jeku trajanja epidemije, u mjesecu svibnju i lipnju. Korišteni su profesionalni alati za procjenu skora anksioznosti (GAD-7), depresije (PHQ-9), nesanice (Insomnia Severity Indeks) i samog stresa sudionika. Dobiveni rezultati ukazuju da znanje o novoj COVID-19 bolesti među medicinskim sestrama i tehničarima je prosječno odnosno imaju srednje znanje o COVID-19. Prosječan sudionik ima rezultat koji ukazuje na blagu nesanicu, blage anksiozne simptome, blage simptome depresije te umjeren stres. Međutim, razine stresa variraju. Jedna četvrtina sudionika nema simptome stresa (20,7%), druga četvrtina osjeća blagi stres (26,6%) te jednak broj sudionika osjeća umjeren (23%) i teški stres (29,6%). Zdravstveni djelatnici sa manje godina radnog staža u zdravstvu izražavaju veće razine stresa te su anksiozniji. Oni zdravstveni djelatnici s više znanja o COVID-19 imaju pozitivniju percepciju situacije, dok isto tako oni koji imaju pozitivniju percepciju imaju i manje problema s nesanicom i anksioznošću. Ovim istraživanjem je uočeno da sudionici koji su radili na COVID-19 odjelu pokazuju podjednake razine stresa, depresije, anksioznosti i nesanice kao i njihovi kolege s drugih odjela.Due to the new situation with the COVID-19 epidemic, the world is facing a new challenge and enemy. Faced with this virus, health professionals are at the forefront of the fight against it. This requires them now to be ready for new scenarios and new situations they have not yet encountered. Changes in working hours, workplace, habits in wearing protective equipment and approaching patients are just some of the challenges. All this affects the healthcare professional and stress occurs, which is an inevitable factor and the result of fighting the epidemic. The research involved 304 nurses and male nurses working in various departments and health facilities in the midst of the epidemic, in May and June. Professional tools were used to assess the score of anxiety (GAD-7), depression (PHQ-9), insomnia (Insomnia Severity Index) and the stress of the participants themselves. The obtained results indicate that the knowledge about the new COVID-19 disease among nurses and male nurses is average, ie they have medium knowledge about COVID-19. They also indicate that the average participant has a score that indicates mild insomnia, mild anxiety symptoms, mild symptoms of depression, and moderate stress. However, stress levels vary. One quarter of the participants did not have symptoms of stress (20.7%), the other quarter felt mild stress (26.6%) and an equal number of participants felt moderate (23%) and severe stress (29.6%). Those health professionals with more knowledge about COVID-19 have a more positive perception of the situation, while also those who have a more positive perception have fewer problems with insomnia and anxiety. This study found that participants who worked in the COVID-19 department showed the same levels of stress, depression, anxiety, and insomnia as their counterparts in other departments