The impact of COVID-19 on doctors’ well-being: results of a web survey during the lockdown in Italy

OBJECTIVE: On March 12, 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the outbreak of a new Coronavirus disease (COVID-19), to be a pandemic. From the be- ginning, Italy (in particular the Northern re- gions) was the first large European country to be hit and one of the most affected coun- tries worldwide. This had a significant impact on the workload and psychological health of health workers. The aim of this web-based cross-sectional study is to assess the con- sequences of the COVID-19 pandemic on Ital- ian doctors’ well-being and psychological dis- tress, in respect of demographic and occu- pational characteristics, lifestyle and habits during the lockdown period.PATIENTS AND METHODS: We conducted a web-based cross-sectional survey based on Google® Forms to collect data. The participa- tion was available during the lockdown period that started in Italy on March 9, 2020 and it was voluntary and anonymous. The question- naire explored demographic and occupational variables, lifestyle and habits during the lock- down, perceived well-being and psychological distress. Multivariate logistic regression models were fitted. RESULTS: Our study reported the very alarm- ing psychological conditions of Italian doctors, especially among those who worked in the most affected regions, where a level of psychological distress of 93.8% and poor well-being of 58.9% were registered. These percentages were even higher in the case of female hospital workers with low job seniority, and those caring for COVID-19 patients. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings reported a sig- nificant psychosocial impact of the COVID-19 outbreak on Italian doctors, particularly among those working in the most affected regions of the country. Further studies are necessary to better understand the effects of the COVID-19