Sleep Quality and Mood State in Resident Physicians during COVID-19 Pandemic.

Chiara Costa,Sebastiano Italia,Michele Teodoro,Federica Giambò,Ermanno Vitale,Concettina Fenga,Elvira Micali,Giusi Briguglio,Giuliano Indelicato

doi:10.3390/ijerph18158023

Abstract

Since the novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) has spread worldwide, healthcare workers—resident physicians in particular—have been hugely involved in facing the COVID-19 pandemic, experiencing unprecedented challenges in fighting the disease. We aimed to evaluate the prevalence of poor sleep quality, daytime sleepiness, and alterations in mood state profiles in this category. This cross-sectional study, conducted in 2020, enrolled 119 subjects from a university hospital in southern Italy. Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS), Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), and Profile of Mood States (POMS) questionnaires were administered to physicians divided into four areas: anesthesiology, medicine, service, and surgery. In the overall sample, approximately 45% reported poor sleep quality, although only nine subjects (8%) reported an ESS score that suggested excessive daytime sleepiness. Alterations in mood profiles were also observed; the Vigor and Fatigue factors were the most altered. In particular, anesthesiologists seem to be the most affected category, showing a profound decrease in Vigor with a concomitant increase in Fatigue. Considering the possible consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic, preventive measures should be adopted, especially those aimed at facilitating a better turnover of physicians, optimizing the working schedule, and improving the organization of work.

Highlights

Published: 29 July 2021Since the novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2, first described in China) has spread worldwide, healthcare workers have been hugely involved in facing the COVID-19 pandemic [1].healthcare employees have experienced extraordinary challenges in fighting the disease, including close contact with patients, exposure to high viral loads, relocation of clinical tasks beyond their usual assignments, and critical scarcity of personal protective equipment (PPE) [2]
Among the different measures that have been put into place, the most frequent has been the reorganization of hospital staff, including all medical personnel involved in the care of COVID-19 patients, regardless of their occupational background [3]
We aim to evaluate sleep quality, daytime sleepiness, and alterations in mood state profiles in resident physicians during the COVID-19 pandemic, along with sociodemographic, health, lifestyle, and work-related factors

Summary

Introduction

Healthcare employees have experienced extraordinary challenges in fighting the disease, including close contact with patients, exposure to high viral loads, relocation of clinical tasks beyond their usual assignments, and critical scarcity of personal protective equipment (PPE) [2]. This rapidly expanding illness has revealed a severe lack of healthcare workers to face the mass hospitalization of patients across the whole world. Resident physicians’ health and wellbeing are well documented as crucial factors in the current healthcare workforce’s efficiency and performance. Health status is influenced by various positive and negative pressures, such as work commitment, job gratification, Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations

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