Psychosocial effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on staff in a dental teaching hospital.

Abstract

Introduction As COVID-19 rapidly developed across the UK, health services were forced to make radical changes. Within the dental department, all elective procedures were cancelled and staff members were redeployed to support other services within the trust. Studies have demonstrated increased prevalence of psychiatric disorders among healthcare workers during virus pandemics.Aims To assess the psychosocial implications of COVID-19 on members of the dental team working within a large dental teaching hospital.Methodology A survey comprising a series of questions (closed and open) and a Generalised Anxiety Disorder assessment (GAD-7) was distributed to members of the dental team between 1-3 April 2020.Results A total of 120 surveys were completed; 53.3% of respondents displayed symptoms of generalised anxiety. The highest average GAD-7 score was noted among dental nurses. The most common concern was the impact of COVID-19 on friends and family followed by personal health and nature of the disease.Conclusion(s) High anxiety levels and significant psychosocial implications were noted among dental staff during this virus pandemic. Our findings add to a growing body of data on the psychosocial impact of virus outbreaks on healthcare workers and highlight the importance of wellbeing initiatives for healthcare workers to be placed at the forefront of future pandemic crisis planning.