The impact of COVID-19 on doctors' well-being: results of a web survey during the lockdown in Italy

OBJECTIVE: On March 12, 2020,
the World Health Organization (WHO) declared
the outbreak of a new Coronavirus disease
(COVID-19), to be a pandemic. From the beginning,
Italy (in particular the Northern regions)
was the first large European country
to be hit and one of the most affected countries
worldwide. This had a significant impact
on the workload and psychological health of
health workers. The aim of this web-based
cross-sectional study is to assess the consequences
of the COVID-19 pandemic on Italian
doctors’ well-being and psychological distress,
in respect of demographic and occupational
characteristics, lifestyle and habits
during the lockdown period.
PATIENTS AND METHODS: We conducted
a web-based cross-sectional survey based on
Google® Forms to collect data. The participation
was available during the lockdown period
that started in Italy on March 9, 2020 and it
was voluntary and anonymous. The questionnaire
explored demographic and occupational
variables, lifestyle and habits during the lockdown,
perceived well-being and psychological
distress. Multivariate logistic regression models
were fitted.
RESULTS: Our study reported the very alarming
psychological conditions of Italian doctors,
especially among those who worked in the most
affected regions, where a level of psychological
distress of 93.8% and poor well-being of 58.9%
were registered. These percentages were even
higher in the case of female hospital workers
with low job seniority, and those caring for
COVID-19 patients.
CONCLUSIONS: O ur fi ndings r eported a s ignificant
psychosocial impact of the COVID-19
outbreak on Italian doctors, particularly among
those working in the most affected regions of
the country. Further studies are necessary to
better understand the effects of the COVID-19
pandemic on doctors’ well-being and mental
health over time, in order to implement effective
prevention measures.