The results of the study of the mental health care needs of patients admitted to the Central Hospital of MNUMS due to SARS-CoV-2 infection

Abstract

Background: The rapid global spread of SARS-CoV-2 to pandemic proportions has increased the public’s awareness of the importance of mental health care and needs. In other words, the pandemic had seriously impacted the well-being of the population’s psychology and mental health. In particular, patients hospitalized with confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection are more likely to suffer from depression and sleep disturbances due to fear of long-term consequences of the infection, fear of spreading the infection to others, fear of death, social discrimination, depression, and in some cases suicide attempts, mentioned the risk of suicide. Therefore, we believe that it is necessary to study some of the mental health conditions and mental health care needs of patient admitted to the MNUMS hospital with SARS-CoV-2 confirmed Aim: To determine the mental health some status and mental health care needs of hospitalized patient due to SARS-CoV-2 infection. Materials and Methods: The study was carried out using a descriptive research hospital-based snapshot model and a questionnaire survey method. In the study, 399 inpatients admitted to University of Central Hospital, MNUMS between May and August 2021 were included in the study voluntarily. Statistical treatment was calculated using STATA 15.1 software. Research Ethics: The research work was discussed at the Ethical Review Committee of the Ministry of Health meeting on 18.06.2020, and ethical approval for the research was obtained (#2021/3-08). Results: Our study included 399 patients aged 18-85 with an average age of 40.5±0.7. 56% of the respondents were female (n=224), with a gender ratio of 1.28:1. At the time of the study, patients were still hospitalized for 1-12 days, and the average length of hospitalization was 8.4±0.9. According to the results of the study, 52.4% (n=209) had depression, 80% (n=318) had anxiety, 49% (n=194) had sleep disorders, and 6% (n=24) had post-traumatic stress disorder, 98% (n=392) experienced social discrimination, and 97.5% (n=389) experienced self-discrimination. When the reliability of the test for assessing the level of discrimination was calculated by Cronbach’s coefÏcient, the test for assessing social discrimination was α=0.90, and the test for assessing self-discrimination was α=0.89. Also, the reliability of the personality trait EPI test used in the study was α=0.81. The majority of the respondents 69% (n=276) answered “It is necessary” to the question “Do people with Covid-19 need mental health advice and support?”. The majority of patients with mental health problems believed that people with covid needed mental health counseling and support, but no statistically significant differences were observed compared to other groups. Conclusion: The majority of hospitalized patients had mental health problems such as depression, anxiety, sleep disorders, and social and self-discrimination, and 69% of the patients answered that they needed help, indicating that patients need mental health counseling and support.