Introduction

The COVID-19 pandemic led to the adoption of paramount measures to detect SARS-CoV-2 infection and prevent its spread, causing anxiety in the general population. Health professionals have been considered one of the most vulnerable groups for mental health problems, as observed in past epidemics. The present study aimed to assess the anxiety in primary healthcare professionals during the COVID-19 pandemic and identify the factors that influenced it.

Methodology

This cross-sectional study was performed via an online anonymous survey, disseminated primarily through social networks and institutional mailing lists, between March 29th and April 5th 2020, applied to primary healthcare professionals in mainland Portugal. Anxiety levels were obtained by applying the Beck Anxiety Inventory. Logistic regression analyses were conducted to identify factors associated with anxiety levels.

Results

The study included 696 participants, of which 61.9% were physicians, 84.8% were women and 43.8% presented mild to severe levels of anxiety. Factors such as personal history of previous mental health disorders (p<0.001), having a family member with risk factors for SARS-CoV-2 complications (p=0.012) and being an administrative clerk (p=0.014), showed to relate with higher levels of anxiety. On the other hand, the existence of a workspace contingency plan was associated with lower anxiety levels (p=0.048); nevertheless, 6.9% considered it inadequate, mainly due to inappropriate protective equipment for professionals (79.6%).

Conclusion

This study highlights a high prevalence of anxiety among health professionals and reinforces the need of, in future pandemics, promoting the adoption of adequate measures to protect their mental health and, ultimately, safeguard the quality of patient care.

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