Psychological impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on medical doctors in Turkey

Abstract

We explored the psychological effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on medical doctors working in hospitals assigned to treat COVID-19 patients. An exploratory, descriptive, qualitative research design was applied with a group of 204 medical doctors working within 40 different hospitals across 15 provinces of Turkey. Results reveal that medical doctors experienced various psychological problems, such as personal stress, anxiety, fear, panic attacks, depressive tendencies, and sleep disturbances, during the pandemic period. To cope with the pandemic, the medical doctors exhibited behaviors such as religious prayer, using antidepressants, undertaking different hobbies, paying attention to social distancing and hygiene rules and guidelines, and having a balanced and healthy diet. Our findings demonstrate that COVID-19 increased medical doctors' psychological pressure and associated physical symptoms.