EXAMINING THE SOURCES OF HOSPITAL-ORIENTED ANXIETY EXPERIENCED BY HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONALS IN THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC

Abstract

Purpose: This study was conducted to examine the sources of the changes and the hospital oriented anxiety experienced by healthcare professionals in the Covid-19 pandemic. Design and Methods: The study sample consisted of 604 healthcare workers. Data were collected using a questionnaire developed by the researcher and analysed by using descriptive statistics, t-test, and analysis of variance, Kruskal-Wallis, and Turkey test on the SPSS 23.0 software package. Findings: The healthcare professionals in the study were concerned that they could infect their family members with the virus (72%) and that their relatives would be harmed due to the pandemic (63.2%). Nurses experienced the least anxiety. Women experienced more anxiety than men. Despite experiencing anxiety, 58.5% did not consider resigning due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Practice Implications: The mental health of healthcare professionals, who serve at the forefront during the Covid-19 pandemic, should be evaluated in the long term. Early intervention to indirect traumatization can make it easier to control the anxiety caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. Revealing anxiety-related topics will facilitate handling the right issues and coping with them.