Psychological and Ocular Surface State of Ophthalmologists and Ophthalmic Nurses Working With Patients With Coronavirus Disease 2019.

IMPORTANCE

The influence on the psychology and ocular surface of ophthalmologists and ophthalmic nurses in Wuhan, China, during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is not yet fully understood.

OBJECTIVE

To characterize mental state and ocular surface state of ophthalmologists and ophthalmic nurses in Wuhan, China, and similar areas during the COVID-19 outbreak.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND

PARTICIPANTS

This survey study assessed ophthalmologists and ophthalmic nurses in Wuhan, China, and Jiangxi, China, a province approximately 300 km south of Wuhan. The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, the Van Dream Anxiety Scale, and the Ocular Surface Disease Index were used to conduct questionnaire surveys via a messaging and social media app.

MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: Mean scores from the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (0-10 points), the Van Dream Anxiety Scale (0-100 points), and the Ocular Surface Disease Index (0-100 points).

RESULTS

Of 126 individuals, there were 42 ophthalmologists (33.3%) and 21 ophthalmic nurses (16.7%) from Wuhan and 42 ophthalmologists (33.3%) and 21 nurses (16.7%) from Jiangxi. The mean (SD) age of ophthalmologists was 36.1 (7.6) years in Wuhan and 41.2 (8.8) years in Jiangxi. For ophthalmic nurses, the mean (SD) age was 35.2 (7.4) years in Wuhan and 33.4 (7.9) years in Jiangxi. The response rate for ophthalmologists was 90.3% (84 of 93) and for nurses was 91.3% (42 of 46). The participation rate of ophthalmologists and nurses in Wuhan was 0.06% (42 of 70 000) and 0.07% (21 of 30 000), respectively; the participation rate in Jiangxi was 0.06% (42 of 70 000; 21 of 35 000) for both groups. In Wuhan, the mean (SD) Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (anxiety and depression were counted as separate scores), Van Dream Anxiety Scale, and the Ocular Surface Disease Index scores were 6.90 (2.30), 7.38 (2.19), 24.52 (5.86), and 43.90 (3.74), respectively, in ophthalmologists and 8.67 (3.04), 9.38 (2.64), 21.48 (6.15), and 40.05 (6.67), respectively, in ophthalmic nurses. In Jiangxi, these scores were 5.67 (2.89), 4.90 (3.15), 12.76 (7.27), and 38.79 (7.78), respectively, in ophthalmologists and 4.67 (3.20), 4.33 (3.23), 10.10 (7.62), and 41.52 (5.92), respectively, in ophthalmic nurses. The difference (95% CI) between the 2 regions for these scores in ophthalmologists was 2.48 (95% CI, 1.30-3.65), 11.76 (95% CI, 8.90-14.63), 5.12 (95% CI, 2.45-7.79), and 5.12 (95% CI, 2.47-7.77), respectively, and in ophthalmic nurses was 4.16 (95% CI, 2.05-5.95), 5.05 (95% CI, 3.21-6.89), 11.38 (95% CI, 7.06-15.70), and -1.48 (95% CI, -5.41 to 2.25), respectively.

CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: These findings suggest that ophthalmologists and ophthalmic nurses in Wuhan experienced more anxiety and depression and reported greater ocular surface abnormalities than counterparts outside of Wuhan, but the wide CIs preclude concluding confidently that there were differences.