Anxiety levels in health personnel that care for COVID-19 patients

Abstract

Introduction: Anxiety is a physiological defense mechanism in the face of a threat. However, when it becomes excessive and daily, it should be evaluated as it may turn into a pathological condition. Objective: determining the levels of anxiety in the staff of doctors and nurses who care for patients with covid19 in the IVSS Dr. José María Carabaño Tosta Maracay-Estado Aragua, in March 2024. Materials and Methods: observational, analytical, cross-sectional epidemiological study under a quantitative approach, applying the BAI as an instrument, attaching a section of sociodemographic data to a total of 40 individuals during the month of March 2024. Results: 24 nurses and 16 doctors were evaluated for two weeks, demonstrating a prevalence of 40% of mild anxiety, 27.5% of minimal anxiety, 22.5% of moderate anxiety and 10 % severe anxiety in these. The highest levels of severe anxiety were found in 16.7% of nurses, and moderate anxiety in 33.3% of them, in contrast to 56.3% of doctors who presented mild anxiety. Conclusion: clear evidence of anxiety was found in the studied population, with mild levels predominating. Higher levels of anxiety were found in nurses compared to doctors.