Work place impact on mental wellbeing of frontline doctors

Background. Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19, also known as 2019-nCoV), a cluster of acute respiratory illness with unknown causes, has occurred in India since January 2020. Over the past several months, the entire world is struggling to cope with and contain the virus spread. Several studies showed that mental health problems could occur in both healthcare workers and SARS survivors during the SARS epidemic. Considering the geographical variation, dense population, multistrata health care structure, and rising COVID cases in South India, we have a reason to speculate that the burden on the frontline doctors is high and their psychological condition may also be affected during COVID-19 outbreak. Aims. The aim of the study is to estimate the anxiety and depression among front line doctors during COVID 19 duty in south India and also the impact of the various strata of health care on the depression and anxiety scores. Methods. An online form was created which included personal details of COVID 19 duty, Beck's anxiety and depression questionnaire. Results. Severity of anxiety and depression scores was significantly higher among front line doctors working in primary health centers when compared to medical college and private hospital doctors (P<0.002). Conclusion. Our study verified the results from previous reports that anxiety and depression are high among doctors posted in COVID duties, but also that they remain largely unaddressed. We provide new findings regarding the nature of work place and the mental health issues.