COVID-19 Pandemic: Psychosocial impact among healthcare professionals in Tunisia

Objective. - To determine the psycho-affective impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the mental health of health professionals in Tunisia and to estimate the associated factors.Methods. - This is a multicenter, cross-sectional, descriptive and analytical study of health professionals carried out from May 2, 2020 to June 30, 2020 in Tunisia. Healthcare professionals included doctors, nurses, dentists and pharmacists. The participants answered a pre-established questionnaire using an electronic "Google Form". This questionnaire gathered demographic data and medical history. It included two psychometric scales, the GAD-7 (General Anxiety Disorder-7) and the PHQ-9 (Patient Health Questionnaire-9) to assess the prevalence and intensity of anxiety symptoms and depressive symptoms respectively.Results. - The study included 203 healthcare professionals. The professionals had a mean age of 30.74 & PLUSMN; 6.33 years, 69.5 % were women, and the majority were doctors (77.8 %). Among professionals, 9.4 % were nurses, 7.4 % were dentists, and 5.4 % were pharmacists. A third of the participants 34.3 % worked in departments with Covid-19 patienfor having moderate to severe anxiety symptoms. Conclusion. - In order to ensure better patient care, early detection of psychiatric disorders and the implementation of specific strategies to ensure better mental health among healthcare professionals are priorities not only during the current pandemic but also in the event of a future similar pandemic.(C) 2021 L'Encephale, Paris.