Prevalence of anxiety among health professionals in times of COVID-19: a systematic review with meta-analysis

Abstract This study sets out to identify the prevalence of anxiety among health professionals during the COVID-19 pandemic. It involves a systematic review and meta-analysis of studies published in any language in 2020. A search was conducted in the Embase, LILACS and PubMed databases using the keywords anxiety, COVID-19, health workers, and synonyms. The estimated overall prevalence of anxiety with a 95% confidence interval was calculated using the random effects model. Of the 861 records identified, 36 articles were included in the systematic review and 35 in the meta-analysis. The overall prevalence of anxiety was 35% (95%CI: 29-40). A higher risk of anxiety was identified among women compared to men (Odds Ratio: 1.64 [95%CI: 1.47-1.84]), and in nurses, in comparison with physicians (Odds Ratio: 1.19 [95%CI: 1.07-1.33]). Being on the front line of COVID-19, being infected with coronavirus and having chronic diseases were also factors associated with a higher risk of anxiety. A high prevalence of anxiety among health professionals was observed, with higher risk among women and nurses. There is a pressing need for measures aimed at prevention of anxiety and providing early and appropriate treatment for those suffering from moderate and severe anxiety.

摘要 本研究旨在明确新型冠状病毒肺炎（COVID-19）疫情期间卫生从业人员的焦虑患病率。本研究对2020年发表的所有语言的相关研究进行系统综述（systematic review）与荟萃分析（meta-analysis）。通过Embase、LILACS及PubMed数据库，以“焦虑”“COVID-19”“卫生工作者”及其同义词为检索词开展文献检索。采用随机效应模型计算焦虑的总体合并患病率及其95%置信区间（confidence interval, CI）。在检索得到的861条记录中，最终有36篇文献纳入系统综述，35篇纳入荟萃分析。本次研究的焦虑总体患病率为35%（95%CI：29%~40%）。与男性相比，女性的焦虑风险更高（优势比（Odds Ratio, OR）：1.64，95%CI：1.47~1.84）；与医师相比，护士的焦虑风险更高（优势比（Odds Ratio, OR）：1.19，95%CI：1.07~1.33）。身处新冠疫情防控一线、感染新冠病毒及患有慢性病，均为焦虑风险升高的相关因素。研究结果显示卫生从业人员整体焦虑患病率较高，其中女性与护士群体的焦虑风险更为突出。当前亟需制定针对性预防措施，为中重度焦虑患者提供早期规范化诊疗方案。