OBJECTIVE The COVID-19 pandemic represents an exceptional challenge for the medical fraternity. We examined the differences in experiencing anxiety of general practitioners (GP), psychiatrists (PS) and surgeons (SU) during the… Click to show full abstract
OBJECTIVE The COVID-19 pandemic represents an exceptional challenge for the medical fraternity. We examined the differences in experiencing anxiety of general practitioners (GP), psychiatrists (PS) and surgeons (SU) during the COVID-19 pandemic in Germany. METHODS E-mail-based survey (April-May 2020) of 608 physicians (GP n = 162, PS n = 299, SU n = 147) on anxiety experience in relation to COVID-19 and potential determinants. RESULTS High levels of COVID-19-related anxiety were reported by 31.1 % of GP, 19.2 % of PS, and 11.6 % of SU. The frequency of contact with COVID-19 patients was highest in SU (68.5 %), followed by GP (51.0 %) and PS (8.1 %). The experience of COVID-19-related distress was overall highest among GP. SU felt best informed and rated their resilience most highly. A high level of anxiety was positively associated with the perceived risk of infection. CONCLUSION Studies on the distress of physicians provide important information to optimize pandemic management.
               
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