Original scientific paper
THE EXPERIENCE AND REACTIONS TOWARDS STAGE 1 COVID-19 AMONG JUNIOR DOCTORS IN INDIA
Sanjana Kathiravan
; Department of Psychiatry, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, India
Anish Shouan
; Department of Psychiatry, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, India
Sai Chaitanya Reddy
; Department of Psychiatry, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, India
Shubh Mohan Singh
; Department of Psychiatry, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, India
Abstract
Background: COVID-19 pandemic is the first modern pandemic and has occurred in an era of social media ubiquity. Despite
being in stage 1 of the pandemic, and low numbers of patients, various emotional and behavioral changes were observed in junior
doctors. This study was designed to assess the experience and reactions of junior doctors in a tertiary teaching hospital in North
India and Tamil Nadu in the immediate aftermath of the nation-wide lockdown.
Subjects and mwthods: This was an observational cross- sectional study of junior doctors working in tertiary care hospitals in
Chandigarh and Tamil Nadu. It was conducted from 28th March to 5th April 2020. Ethical clearance obtained and anonymity was
maintained. We used a 17-item self-designed questionnaire circulated online.
Results: Mean age was 28.64 years (n=362). Though mostly well informed, only 8% restricted themselves to obtaining
information from a single source. Around 46% were feeling anxious and many more (73.20%) perceived the same emotion in their
peers and even more of them (85.10%) in their family members. Most of them (90.1%) endorsed more than change in behavior,
mainly to avoid potential risk (52%) and females tend to self-quarantine themselves more than males.
Conclusions: Knowledge does not play as important a role in the way people behave in an outbreak. Many other covert factors
may possible be involved. Strategies leading to reduction in uncertainty, interventions for reassurance in the workplace and better
role models would be of help in this outbreak.
Keywords
COVID-19; outbreak; junior doctors; experience; reactions; knowledge; uncertainty; lockdown; online survey; stage 1; pandemic
Hrčak ID:
267266
URI
Publication date:
4.10.2021.
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