Atenea Research Group, Foundation for the Promotion of Health and Biomedical Research, Carretera Nacional 332, Hospital Universitario de Sant Joan d´Alacant, 03550, Sant Joan d´Alacant, Alicante, Spain.
Instituto de Investigación E Innovación en Salud Integral, Facultad de Ciencias Médicas, Universidad Católica de Santiago de Guayaquil, Guayaquil, Ecuador.
Sci Rep. 2022 May 19;12(1):8496. doi: 10.1038/s41598-022-12626-2.
This study analyzed the frequency and intensity of acute stress among health professionals caring for COVID-19 patients in four Latin American Spanish-speaking countries during the outbreak. A cross-sectional study involved a non-probability sample of healthcare professionals in four Latin American countries. Participants from each country were invited using a platform and mobile application designed for this study. Hospital and primary care workers from different services caring for COVID-19 patients were included. The EASE Scale (SARS-CoV-2 Emotional Overload Scale, in Spanish named Escala Auto-aplicada de Sobrecarga Emocional) was a previously validated measure of acute stress. EASE scores were described overall by age, sex, work area, and experience of being ill with COVID-19. Using the Mann-Whitney U test, the EASE scores were compared according to the most critical moments of the pandemic. Univariate and multivariate analysis was performed to investigate associations between these factors and the outcome 'acute stress'. Finally, the Kruskal-Wallis was used to compare EASE scores and the experience of being ill. A total of 1372 professionals responded to all the items in the EASE scale: 375 (27.3%) Argentines, 365 (26.6%) Colombians, 345 (25.1%) Chileans, 209 (15.2%) Ecuadorians, and 78 (5.7%) from other countries. 27% of providers suffered middle-higher acute stress due to the outbreak. Worse results were observed in moments of peak incidence of cases (14.3 ± 5.3 vs. 6.9 ± 1.7, p < 0.05). Higher scores were found in professionals in COVID-19 critical care (13 ± 1.2) than those in non-COVID-19 areas (10.7 ± 1.9) (p = 0.03). Distress was higher among professionals who were COVID-19 patients (11.7 ± 1) or had doubts about their potential infection (12 ± 1.2) compared to those not infected (9.5 ± 0.7) (p = 0.001). Around one-third of the professionals experienced acute stress, increasing in intensity as the incidence of COVID-19 increased and as they became infected or in doubt whether they were infected. EASE scale could be a valuable asset for monitoring acute stress levels among health professionals in Latin America.ClinicalTrials: NCT04486404.
这项研究分析了在拉丁美洲四个西班牙语国家爆发期间，照顾 COVID-19 患者的卫生专业人员的急性应激频率和强度。这是一项横断面研究，涉及四个拉丁美洲国家的非概率样本的医疗保健专业人员。每个国家的参与者都是通过为这项研究设计的平台和移动应用程序邀请的。来自不同服务部门的医院和初级保健工作者都包括在内，这些部门负责照顾 COVID-19 患者。EASE 量表（SARS-CoV-2 情绪过载量表，在西班牙语中称为 Escala Auto-aplicada de Sobrecarga Emocional）是一种以前经过验证的急性应激测量方法。根据年龄、性别、工作领域以及是否患有 COVID-19，对 EASE 量表的总体评分进行了描述。使用曼-惠特尼 U 检验，根据大流行的最关键时刻比较了 EASE 评分。进行单变量和多变量分析，以调查这些因素与“急性应激”结果之间的关联。最后，使用 Kruskal-Wallis 检验比较 EASE 评分和患病经历。共有 1372 名专业人员对 EASE 量表的所有项目做出了回应：375 名（27.3%）阿根廷人、365 名（26.6%）哥伦比亚人、345 名（25.1%）智利人、209 名（15.2%）厄瓜多尔人和 78 名（5.7%）来自其他国家。由于疫情爆发，27%的医护人员遭受了中等程度以上的急性压力。在病例发病率高峰时期（14.3±5.3 比 6.9±1.7，p<0.05），结果更差。在 COVID-19 重症监护专业人员中发现的分数更高（13±1.2），而在非 COVID-19 地区的分数（10.7±1.9）较低（p=0.03）。与未感染的人（9.5±0.7）相比，COVID-19 患者（11.7±1）或对其潜在感染有疑虑的专业人员（12±1.2）的压力更大（p=0.001）。大约三分之一的专业人员经历了急性压力，随着 COVID-19 发病率的增加以及他们自身感染或怀疑自己是否感染的情况而增加。EASE 量表可以成为监测拉丁美洲卫生专业人员急性应激水平的有价值的工具。临床试验：NCT04486404。
