L’impatto psicologico del Covid-19 sul personale sanitario: Un’indagine esplorativa nella ULSS 9 Scaligera del Veneto.

Aim: to investigate the impact of the Covid-19 epidemic on the psychological well-being of healthcare workers in the North-East of Italy. Methods: The research is a multi-center study conducted in different locations of the ULSS 9 Scaligera in Verona during the period of April-June 2020. The levels of psychological distress of the medical staff were measured by administering the General Health Questionnaire 12. The healthcare workers were employed both in departments in direct contact with Covid patients (area Covid+ group), and in Covid-free departments (area No-Covid group). Results: The overall sample is made up of 149 participants (123 women and 26 men) as follows: 97 employees from the Covid + areas and 52 employees from the No-Covid areas. Overall, the health care workers reported to the G.H.Q. 12, an average score of 16.40 (± 7.12) equivalent to a level of “evident discomfort”. Considering the areas, it emerged that the participants in the No-Covid area reported higher levels of distress (p = 0.01). Conclusion: The covid-19 pandemic appears to have had a major impact on the psychological health of healthcare professionals, regardless of the department they worked in. It is hoped that more precautionary measures and clearer protocols will be adopted, in order to increase the perception of safety of employees, a determining factor for their psychological well-being. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]