An Analysis on Sleep Quality of the Healthcare Professionals During the Covid- 19 Pandemic

İlknur Fidancı¹, Okşan Derinöz Güleryüz¹, İzzet Fidancı²   

¹Department of Pediatric Emergency Medicine, Medical Faculty of Gazi University, Ankara, Turkey - ²Department of Family Medicine, Medical Faculty of Hacettepe University, Ankara, Turkey

Introduction: The aim of the study was to examine the sleep quality of healthcare professionals affected by the challenges they face during the pandemic. 

Materials and methods: An online survey was applied to the health care professionals who served in clinics and the departments established for pandemic and in pediatric/adult emergency rooms during the Covid-19 outbreak. Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and online survey consisting of demographic information were used to evaluate the healthcare professionals’ sleep quality. SPSS 23.0 was used for statistical analysis. 

Results: 153 healthcare professionals were included in the study.  67.3% of them (n=103) were female and 32.7% (n=50) were male. The average PSQI of the participants was 10,61±6,35. It was10.22±6,31 for males, and 10.81±6,39 for females. Most of the participants (76.5%) (n=117) received the score above 5 points demonstrating bad sleep quality. No statistically significant relationship was found between the variables and the sleep quality. However the average PSQI was found to be higher than the level expected. 

Conclusion: It is known that sleep disorders is a common problem among the healthcare professionals working in busy and risky areas. It is clear that difficult working conditions and accordingly anxiety and depression can have a significant effect on sleep quality. Therefore, healthcare professionals will work more productively and willingly by decreasing the workload and arranging the working hours alternately during periods like pandemic when the workload is high and risky.