Psychological Stress of COVID-19 among Palestinian Healthcare Workers within Medical Corona Centres

Abstract

Frontline workers in medical centers experienced occupational stress during the COVID-19 pandemic. The investigation aimed to identify the level of psychological stress among workers in Palestinian medical centers used to examine and treat people infected by COVID-19. To achieve the purposes, we used the descriptive-analytical method. We distributed an electronic questionnaire through social media channels. We used a structured questionnaire that we prepared and experts in the field judged for this purpose. 170 polls were distributed electronically to medical centers within West Bank from May to July 2021. 159 out of 170 forms were completed and retrieved. The results showed that nurses were more likely to suffer from psychological stress than doctors and administrators. The findings also revealed that those with children were more likely to experience psychological stress than others with children. Also, workers at centers for eight hours or less were more vulnerable to psychological pressure than those who worked for a period ranging from 8 and 16 hours, or more than 16 hours. The researchers recommended the necessity of circulating the results to decision-makers due to the need for psychological support teams distributed in the Palestinian governorates to work in Corona centers to provide psychological interventions and psychological support.