Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the patients’ emotional state in general practice in Bulgaria

Abstract

The study aimed to evaluate and analyze the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the emotional state of patients in General Medical Practice in Bulgaria. In July-December 2022, a survey was organized among 306 GPs working in primary health care (PHC) in Bulgaria. They represent about 8% of the country’s general practitioners and work in eight regions. An individual self-completion questionnaire was offered. After obtaining permission from the Ethics Committee, respondents were randomly selected. The data was processed with a specialized statistical software package, SPSS 22. The COVID-19 pandemic has increased the number of patients with anxiety and depressive symptoms in the period 2020–2022, according to 95.3% (286) of the GPs surveyed. According to the GPs, the reasons for this were social isolation – 79.4%, negative information from the media – 73.1%, uncertainty – 65%, financial worries – 51.7%, uncertainty about the future – 38.8%, and other – 2.1%. The population of Bulgaria has been greatly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic has increased the number of patients with anxiety and depression in the General Medical Practice for the period 2020–2022. Bulgarians often resort to self-medication despite the easy access to general practitioners and the possibility of consultation with a psychiatrist.