Sleep and Mental health: impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on health professionals

• Grant number: 21/09511-4
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: May 01, 2022
• End date: October 31, 2022
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Medicine
• Principal Investigator: Monica Levy Andersen
• Grantee: Bárbara Virginia Vitti Ruela
• Host Institution: Escola Paulista de Medicina (EPM). Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP). Campus São Paulo. São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought several changes in the world scenario, covering not only the scope of public health, but also the economic and social ones. Health professionals have faced changes related to routine restructuring, insecurities and fears about the spread of the virus, long working hours and the lack of protective equipment in the hospital environment. In view of these concerns, it is believed that these individuals are susceptible to the onset of depressive and anxious symptoms and to a worsening of the sleep pattern. These factors are crucial for maintaining quality of life and good work performance. The aim of this study is to analyze the repercussions of the COVID-19 pandemic on the sleep and mental health of health professionals, considering their training, experience and routine changes resulting from this atypical crisis. This study will have a cross-sectional observational design including workers from different specialties in the health area. An online questionnaire, based on previously validated questionnaires, was applied and disseminated on different digital platforms in order to reach a significant sample. The answers obtained will undergo statistical analysis, allowing the observation of sleep and mental health patterns of different profiles of health workers. It is expected, with this project, that the data collected can guide future interventions that optimize the management of the health system as a whole in Brazil.(AU)