Search

Background: The burden of the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted widely on the healthcare providers physically and mentally. Many healthcare providers are exposed to psychological stressors due to their high risk of contracting the virus. Aims: This study aimed to measure the level of anxiety among healthcare providers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Saudi Arabia. In addition, this study aimed to measure the level of anxiety based on demographic characteristics. Method: A cross-sectional survey was employed to recruit a convenience sample of healthcare providers. A pencil and paper self-administered questionnaires were used to collect data from demographic and generalized anxiety disorder GAD-7 data. However, this study received written informed consent from participants of the study. In addition, the study was approved by the Institutional Review Board at Dr. Sulaiman Al Habib Medical Group (IRB Log No. RC20.06.88-03). Results: A total of 650 participants were recruited, results of GAD-7 showed that 43.5%, 28.9% and 27.5% of healthcare providers in Saudi Arabia experienced mild, moderate and severe anxiety, respectively, during the COVID-19 pandemic. Results indicated that age, health specialty, nationality, and sleeping disorders before COVID-19 were associated with anxiety levels. Conclusion: The generalized anxiety among healthcare providers in Saudi Arabia was mild. Older healthcare providers were found to have a higher level of anxiety compared to other participating healthcare providers. Several factors may contribute to a higher level of anxiety including age, socioeconomic status, marital status, having chronic conditions, and sleeping disorder before the COVID-19 pandemic. To further understand the level of anxiety among healthcare providers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Saudi Arabia, longitudinal and mixed-method research is needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Objectives: COVID-19 is a novel infectious disease caused by a singlestranded RNA coronavirus called severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). We aimed to conduct a nationwide multicenter study to determine the characteristics and the clinical prognostic outcome of critically ill COVID-19 patients admitted to intensive care units (ICUs). Materials and Methods: This is a nationwide cohort retrospective study conducted in twenty Saudi hospitals. Results: An analysis of 1470 critically ill COVID-19 patients demonstrated that the majority of patients were male with a mean age of 55.9 ± 15.1 years. Most of our patients presented with a shortness of breath (SOB) (81.3%), followed by a fever (73.7%) and a cough (65.1%). Diabetes and hypertension were the most common comorbidities in the study (52.4% and 46.0%, respectively). Multiple complications were observed substantially more among non-survivors. The length and frequency of mechanical ventilation use were significantly greater (83%) in the nonsurvivors compared with the survivors (31%). The mean Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) score was 6 ± 5. The overall mortality rate of the cohort associated with patients that had diabetes, hypertension and ischemic heart disease was 41.8%. Conclusion: Age; a pre-existing medical history of hypertension, diabetes and ischemic heart disease; smoking cigarettes; a BMI ± 29; a long mechanical ventilation and ICU stay; the need of ventilatory support; a high SOFA score; fungal co-infections and extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) use were key clinical characteristics that predicted a high mortality in our population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

aiman Al Habib Medical Group, Riyadh, 12214, Saudi Arabia; 6College of Medicine, Alfaisal University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; 7Administration of Pharmaceutical Care, Al-Ahsa Health Cluster, Ministry of Health, Al-Ahsa, Saudi Arabia; 8Molecular Diagnostic Laboratory, Johns Hopkins Aramco Healthcare, Dhahran, Saudi ArabiaCorrespondence: Alya Al Mutairi Email [email protected] Objective: The ongoing pandemic of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), which originated from Wuhan, China, has been identified to be caused by the novel beta coronavirus, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). COVID-19 has been spreading rapidly worldwide within just a few months. Our aims were to analyze clinical and laboratory abnormalities in ICU patients with COVID-19, in order to define which predictors can distinguish between those who are at higher risk of developing fatal versus non-fatal forms of the disease. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional survey was used; demographics, comorbidities, symptoms, laboratory parameters at ICU admission, and clinical outcomes for the adult patients admitted to ICU were collected from five hospitals in Saudi Arabia. Results: A total of 86 patients with COVID-19 admitted in ICU, 50 patients died, 23 recovered, and 13 were still admitted, with a mortality rate of 58.1%. Septic shock (OR (95% CI): 58.1 (5.97– 7812.8), p < 0.001) and acute kidney injury (AKI) (OR (95% CI): 7.279 (1.191– 65.43), p = 0.032) had a significant impact on mortality. Cox proportional-hazards regression analysis revealed that septic shock (HR (95% CI): 9.502 (2.958– 30.524), p < 0.001) and neutrophil count (HR (95% CI): 1.053 (1.023– 1.085), p < 0.001) were significant predictors for mortality. Conclusion: Septic shock, AKI, and high neutrophil count were found to be predictive of death in these patients. Further studies are needed to aid efficient recognition and management of severe COVID-19 patients in our population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]