Objective: To assess the level of anxiety among doctors during COVID-19 pandemic and the associated risk factors Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted from 30th April to 16th May, 2020 in Karachi, Pakistan The data was collected via an online web-based questionnaire Questionnaire was used to assess anxiety level using GAD-7 scale among health-care professionals and the risk factors playing role in it Results: One hundred and fifty-one doctors participated in our study Out of these 151 participants, 69 (45 7%) had mild, 22 (14 6%) had moderate, and 5 (3 3%) had severe symptoms of anxiety, whereas the remaining 55 (36 4%) had no anxiety according to GAD-7 scale The median [interquartile range (IQR)] GAD-7 scale scores are 6 0 [3 00-9 00] Females showed more severe degrees of measurement of anxiety symptoms than males Doctors dealing with COVID-19 patients showed higher level of anxiety as compared to the doctors who were not dealing with COVID-19 patients, having a significant difference (U = 9 697, p = 0 008) One hundred and forty-one (93 4%) participants were concerned about being exposed to COVID-19 at work and 112 (74 2 %) thought they have inadequate protective equipment for safety Conclusions: During COVID-19 pandemic, doctors exhibited different grades of anxiety In order for healthcare workers to perform to the best of their capability, certain guidelines and interventions are needed
Anxiety among doctors during COVID-19 pandemic in secondary and tertiary care hospitals