Evaluation of Emergency Department (ED) Staff Stress Level During COVID-19 Pandemic

Evaluation of Emergency Department (ED) Staff Stress Level During COVID-19 Pandemic

In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, Emergency Department (ED) are in front line for the reception of patients presenting COVID-19 symptoms and have to face a new situation given the expected number of patients. Staff participate in suspect patients triage, in the diagnosis and the management of Covid-19 patients, having to follow the instructions and recommendations that evolve in real time, depending on the stage, resources and means available. This situation requires that the staff immediately adaptation within this reorganization and redeployment of the activity. Then; they are subject to many stress and anxiety factors such as:

• Increased activity: massive influx of patients, overload of work, lack of material and human resources
• Modification of practices: training in procedures, measures isolation and prevention of contamination of other patients, replacement by professionals reassigned from other departments
• Ethical dilemma: decisions to be made in an emergency, patient prioritization
• Numerous, evolving information, from various sources and sometimes contradictory (national, governance, service, media)
• Individual: fear of personal contamination and of those close to you, personal organization in a situation of confinement of the population, loss of usual social support
• Anxiety and stress management of patients and relatives, their entourage and colleagues In this study, it is proposed to study the psychic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on emergency department staff.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Adults
• medical and paramedical staff working the the emergency room permanently or specifically during the COVID19 pandemic
• not opposed to participate to this study

Exclusion Criteria:

• Staff under legal protection
• refusing to participate