The influence of coronavirus or COVID-19 pandemic on the behavior and attitudes of health professionals at the National Cancer Institute in Rabat or Morocco - Abstract
Objectives: COVID-19 pandemic puts all healthcare professionals under extreme pressure, by necessity and duty. Because of containment measures, they are obliged to manage suspected patients as well, or others who are suffering from this emerging disease too. The main objective of this study is to describe the effect of the Coronavirus / COVID-19 pandemic on the behavior and attitudes of health professionals at the National Cancer Institute in Rabat, Morocco.
Materials and Methods: It is a descriptive and epidemiological study which has been observed on a particular day at the National Cancer Institute in Rabat. The target population is represented by health professionals (doctors and nurses) working in this institution.
Data was collected using an online survey, after participants’ acceptance. Data analysis was executed using statistical software IBM SPSS statistics version 24.
Results and Discussion: Within all participants, 60 (54%) were doctors and 52 (46%) were nurses. The number of professionals assigned to COVID-19 sector was 30 (27%). Fatigue and stress represent the most frequent manifestations among participants with a respective percentage of 57% [CI: 47.98% - 66.31%] and 69% [CI: 61.13% -78.16%]. Health professionals who work in the COVID-19 sector suffered significantly from sleeping insomnia more than those who work in the non-COVID-19 sector (63.33% versus 32.93%, p = 0.004). They also had a pessimistic vision of the future compared to their colleagues in the non-COVID-19 sector (33% versus 14%, p = 0.03). Female participants suffered more than men in terms of sleep quality and psycho-emotional balance. The change in habits of taking care of cancer patients gave 90% of the participants a feeling of guilt and self-accusation towards the patients.
Conclusions: This study aims to provide indicators on the influence of Covid 19 pandemic on the behavior and attitudes of healthcare professionals working in oncology field. These indicators can be used as a reference while defining and implementing support measures for health professionals when they resume their normal activity in the post-pandemic period.