Abstract:

Introduction: It has been observed that outbreaks experienced throughout history have caused anxiety by profoundly affecting societies. COVID-19 pandemic soon affected the entire world and caused the deaths of thousands of people. Frequently encountering COVID-19 patients increase the anxiety levels of healthcare workers during the pandemic. This study aimed to determine the anxiety levels of healthcare workers of family health centers in Kayseri during the pandemic. Materials and Methods: A total of 214 physicians and family health workers between the ages of 20 and 65 and actively working in Family Health Centers in Kayseri participated in the study. The Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) was used to determine the level of anxiety. Results: Of 214 people who participated in the study, 71.0% were female, 82.7% were married, 52.8% were physicians and 47.2% were family health workers. Their mean age was 38.85. Median employment duration was 14 (min-max: 1-34) years and the median Beck Anxiety Inventory Score was 17 (min-max: 0-63). Of the participants, 53.7% stated that they attended a training program on COVID-19 while 84.1% stated that the outbreak had psychologically affected them. Conclusion: The pandemic has increased the anxiety level of healthcare workers. Mental health of healthcare workers in family health centers affects the quality of the service they provide in the primary care. Therefore, psychosocial support teams should be built up in our country and around the world, and health workers should be supported psychologically as well as patients.

Keywords: