Prevalence and Influencing Factors of Anxiety in Healthcare Professionals in Hemodialysis During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Objective: During the COVID-19 pandemic, working in hemodialysis (HD) can be a source of anxiety. In this study, the anxiety status of HD healthcare professionals (HCPs) during the COVID-19 pandemic and the associated factors were investigated.

Materials and Methods: The data were collected through a web-based questionnaire. The questionnaire consisted of 3 parts: (1) demographic features, (2) questions about the causes and consequences of anxiety, and (3) general anxiety disorder-7 survey.

Results: One hundred eighty-three HCPs completed the survey, mostly nurses and dialysis technicians (71.6%). Twothirds of the participants stated that preventive measures increase workload and cause physical harm (68.3%, 62.3%). One-third of participants reported a lack of communication with the patients and a decrease in desire to work (31.1%, 35.6%). A moderate- severe anxiety was detected in 24.6%. Physical contact with infected people, being physically harmed by preventive measures, decreased desire to work, and a lack of communication with the patients were found to be significantly more in participants with anxiety (P = .036, P < .001, P < .001, P < .001). In multivariate analyzes, being physically harmed by preventive measures was the only risk factor for anxiety (OR = 7.423, CI: 2.050-26.877, P = .002).

Conclusion: During the pandemic period, anxiety was observed in one-fourth of HCPs. Being physically harmed by preventive measures is the only risk factor for anxiety.

Cite this article as: Türkmen E, Kır S, Sayarlıoğlu H, Dilek M, Arık N. Prevalence and influencing factors of anxiety in healthcare professionals in hemodialysis during the covid-19 pandemic. Turk J Nephrol. 2021; 30(2): 158-164.