Prevalence And Predictors Of Stress Among COVID 19 Health Workers In Kabwe District: A Cross Sectional Study

OBJECTIVEThis study aimed at determining the magnitude of stress among COVID-19 health workers in Kabwe district. METHODSThe study was a cross-sectional study which recruited 138 health care workers managing COVID-19 cases in Kabwe. Data were collected through structured questionnaires and in-depth interviews. Quantitative data was analyzed using SPSS version 16 while qualitative data was analyzed using Nvivo8. RESULTSThe study obtained 100% responses from the respondents and the prevalence of stress among the respondents was 73%. The nurses were more perceived to experience stress compared to the pharmacy personnel (28% vs. 3%). Similarly, women displayed a higher likelihood of experiencing stress compared to men. Lack of support, increased workload and fear were among the factors leading to stress. CONCLUSIONThe study went out to determine stress among healthcare workers in Kabwe district. It was established that nurses were more vulnerable than groups. And women were found to be more stressed than men. It is therefore recommended that effective and meaningful interventions be put in place to mitigate the impact of long-term psychological distress and physical well-being in healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic and future outbreaks. ARTICLE SUMMARYO_ST_ABSStrengths and limitations of the studyC_ST_ABSO_LIA cross-sectional study method was employed; it does not assist in determining the cause and effect, in addition, the timing of the snapshot may not guarantee representation of the situation overtime. Therefore, there may be need to evaluate the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on health workers mental requirements using a longitudinal study design. C_LIO_LIThere might have been bias from respondents as the outcomes were self-reported. However, irrespective of the aforementioned limitations, this is a novel study in Kabwe describing stress among health workers in the district during the COVID-19 pandemic. C_LIO_LIThe study grants access to initial evidence on stress among health workers managing the COVID-19 pandemic in Kabwe district, with the expectation of drawing the attention to legislators, health facility supervisors and those involved in the response to COVID-19 or impending epidemics. C_LI