Stresses and consequences among physicians of Bangladesh during COVID-19 pandemic: an assessment of experience and perception.

<b>Background: </b>Health providers working in non-COVID hospitals in Bangladesh may be at an increased risk of infection with the new coronavirus, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) compared to health providers working in COVID-dedicated hospitals due to lower health security measures. Consequently, health practitioners working at such hospitals may be the most vulnerable health group to stress-related problems and mental illness. To our knowledge, there is no study assessing stress-related problems in this particular population and how this group compares to those working in COVID-dedicated units in terms of pandemic-related stress. <b>Methods: </b>An online survey was carried out among 247 medical doctors from Bangladesh (101 females and 146 males). We report descriptive statistics and several group comparisons. <b>Results: </b>The overall stress level among participants was moderated. There were no statistically significant differences in pandemic-related stress between those working in COVID units and those working in regular units. Most participants knew both co-workers and people close to them who had tested positive for SARS-CoV-2. Half of the participants knew someone close to them who had died from COVID-19and 24.7% had got infected themselves. <b>Conclusions: </b>Medical doctors working in Bangladesh experience significant pandemic-related stress regardless of whether they work in COVID-dedicated units or regular units. Our data highlights the importance of detecting stress in health professionals and developing strategies that aim at reducing the same.