Abstract
IntroductionSeveral studies have shown the consequences of COVID-19 pandemic on perceived stress of different populations, but none of them analyzed urological patients who underwent elective surgery.MethodsWe enrolled prospectively patients who underwent elective surgery between March and October 2020. A survey on COVID-19 and the 4-item Perceived Stress Scale (PPS-4) questionnaire were administered at hospital admission. Demographic and medical history data were also collected. Uni- and multivariate analyses were performed to identify independent predictors of higher PSS-4 values (≥7).ResultsA total of 200 patients were enrolled. Mean PSS-4 value resulted 6.04. Patients with PSS-4 value ≥7 resulted 43.5% (87/200). In multivariate analysis, PSS-4 value ≥7 was independently associated (p < 0.05) with female gender (OR 6.42), oncological disease (OR 2.87), high (>5 in a range between 0 and 10) fear of intrahospital transmission of SARS-CoV-2 infection (OR 4.75), history of bladder instillation (OR 0.26), and current smokers (OR 0.27)ConclusionHigh PSS-4 values at hospital admission in urologic surgical patients are positively correlated with female gender, fear of intrahospital transmission of SARS-CoV-2 infection, and oncological disease. PSS-4 questionnaire could be useful to select patients for whom a preadmission counselling is necessary to improve the management of their high stress level.
Highlights
Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic led to health, social, and economic consequences that nobody could foresee
Prevalence of stress, anxiety, depression among the general population [3,4,5], and health care system workers [6,7,8] has predictably increased: Tan et al reported among surgical providers 32.8, 30.8, 25.9, and 24.0% screened positive for depression, anxiety, stress, and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), respectively [9]
Ongoing studies are investigating the different factors involved to reduce the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on mental health, Quality of Life (QoL), and stress levels in the different populations [10], but none of these studies has focused on the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on stress levels of urologic patients who underwent urological elective surgery
Summary
Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic led to health, social, and economic consequences that nobody could foresee. Since the beginning of the pandemic at January 2021, almost 2 million deaths and 85 million coronavirus cases were recorded. These high numbers were caused by the extreme infectiousness of COVID-19, the severity of respiratory illness (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus 2, SARS-CoV-2), and the absence of effective treatments. Ongoing studies are investigating the different factors involved to reduce the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on mental health, Quality of Life (QoL), and stress levels in the different populations [10], but none of these studies has focused on the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on stress levels of urologic patients who underwent urological elective surgery
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