Abstract

Objective:
This study aimed to determine the prevalence of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) post-COVID-19 pandemic among healthcare workers (HCWs) in pediatric emergency departments in Maternity and Children Hospital in Al-Qassim, Saudi Arabia.
Methods:
This cross-sectional study was conducted among HCWs working in the pediatric emergency department in the Maternity and Children Hospital in Al-Qassim Region, Saudi Arabia. A self-administered questionnaire was distributed among the HCWs using an online survey. The questionnaire included socio-demographic characteristics, the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) to measure sleep quality, and the Impact of Event Scale (IES-R) to measure HCWs' PTSD.
Results:
Of the 107 HCWs, 87.9% were females, and 56.1% were aged between 25 to 35 years. Around 29% of pediatric emergency HCWs were considered to have PTSD symptoms. Poor sleep quality was detected in 61.7% of HCWs. There was a significant association between PTSD symptoms and all domains of PSQI, including the total PSQI score. However, no significant relationship was observed between the level of PTSD and all socio-demographic variables.
Conclusion:
The prevalence of PTSD symptoms among pediatric emergency HCWs was 29%. PTSD greatly influences sleep quality, but there was no relevance with HCWs demographic profiles. Further longitudinal studies are necessary to establish the prevalence of PTSD and its effect on the sleep quality of HCWs in the study region.

Key words: PTSD, COVID-19, Emergency DepartmentT