PSYCHOEMOTIONAL DISTRESS AT THE MEDICAL STAFF AFTER ONE YEAR PERIOD PANDEMIC IN A FIRST-LINE COVID-19 HOSPITAL

Humankind is currently facing a pandemic of unimaginable proportions generated by a new strain of coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, which causes significant public health problems. Material and methods: We employed a cross-sectional survey of 252 healthcare professionals from a frontline University Hospital in the "battle" with the new coronavirus after one-year pandemic. We analyzed the prevalence and associated factors with work-related psychological distress among our study group. Results: The results show that gender, marital status, the workload of treating COVID-19 patients, fear of SARS-CoV-2 infection, depression, and anxiety predicted burnout syndrome. Conclusions: The medical field is one of the most vulnerable areas where the staff is predisposed to psychological distress. This increases the probability of suffering different consequences, including burnout syndrome, depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).