Factors related to anxiety among resident doctors assigned to emergency room during the COVID-19 pandemic: a multivariate study at Sumatera Utara Affiliated Teaching Hospital

Effendy, Elmeida; Selian, Ariwan; Siagian, Julius Martin

Aim To evaluate and assess knowledge and perception, as well as factors related to the occurrence of anxiety among frontliners, especially resident doctors working in emergency room (ER). Methods This multivariate study was conducted with cross-sectional approach involving 80 eligible subjects (based on inclusion and exclusion criteria) that are consecutively assigned and assessed with GAD-7 questionnaire. The study was held in ER of Universitas Sumatera Utara affiliated teaching hospital from May to August 2020. Results Our study found that variables such as nuptial status (p=0.032), seniority level (p=0.037), history of direct exposure to COVID-19 patients (p=0.001) and weekly work duration(p=0.002) were all statistically significant to correlate with the occurrence of anxiety among resident doctors assigned to work in ER. Conclusion Acknowledgement of these factors might lead to proper and targeted support system strategies to address the anxiety issues among doctors, particularly those who work in ER during COVID-19 pandemic.