The Effect Of COVID-19 Pandemic on The Anxiety Levels of Radiology Experts And Clinical Functioning

Abstract

Objective: The severe acute respiratory syndrome corona virus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is a novel human corona virus rapidly spread all over the world and caused Corona Virus Disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Radiology clinics were reorganised according to the changes in health system in order to combat with this epidemic. We aimed to detect the changes in the functioning of radiology clinics and to state anxiety levels and relevant factors that induced anxiety in radiologists.Methods: The research is a descriptive study, population constitudes, radiology residents, specialists and scholars actively working in Turkey during COVID-19 pandemic. The data of the study were collected digitally, through the clinical activity scale and Back anxiety scale questionnaires created over the internet. The data collection period started on 18.04.2020 and ended on 8.6.2020.Results: Eightysix radiologists completed the survey. It was understood that the radiologists working during the pandemic had a high level of personal anxiety and worked under stress (3,74). A weak linear relationship was found between the changes in the functioning of radiology clinics and the personal concerns of radiology physicians at the p=0.05 error level (0.224). They stated that unnecessary thorax computed tomography (CT) demands increased (4,51) and they made the most thorax CT evaluation in the daily routine (4,42).Conclusion: In our study, it was shown that there were significant changes in the functioning of radiology clinics especially related with increased thorax CT scans at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic and that the anxiety levels of radiologists increased due to the pandemic.