Psychological Impact of COVID19 Among Doctors in Assiut University Hospitals

Prolonged exposure to stressful working environments resulting in a state of physical and
emotional depletion and burnout. Nowadays, while facing corona virus, health care workers are
on the front line and directly assist in diagnosis, caring and treatment of patients with
COVID, thus keeping them at higher risk developing psychological distress and other mental
health symptoms.

According to previous studies, during the outbreaks of severe acute respiratory syndrome
(SARS) and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS), frontline medical staff had reported high
levels of stress that resulted in posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD)

A lot of factors contribute to increase mental effect among healthcare workers as increasing
the suspected cases and workload , depletion of personal protective equipment's , drug
shortage and feeling inadequately supported .

In Toronto study(2008), four major risk factors for stress among medical staff during the
SARS outbreak were identified; including the perception of the medical of their risk of
infection, the impact of SARS on their work, feelings of depression, and working in high-risk
medical units. moreover, there are other factors as social stigmatization and contact with
infected patients, also has previously been shown to be associated with increased levels of
stress and anxiety in medical staff .