Introduction: In December 2019, the World Health Organization (WHO) received reports from Chinese authorities about a cluster of pneumonia cases at a hospital in Wuhan, China. The WHO defined it as COVID-19. As of Feb 17, 2020, a total of 70,637 cases had been reported in China. Steps and actions have been taking by the Chinese government to fight against the virus and to protect the citizens. The purpose of this paper is to analyze their awareness of self-prevention, working state, stress and mental health under the intense anti epidemic work.
Materials and Methods: Online survey was designed and distribute on Feb 5, 2020 by a specific Wechat blog focusing on organ donation and transplantation (OD&T). A total of 374 medical staffs in the field have participated in the survey.
Results: 1) 65.5% of the medical staffs remains at work for OD&T 2 months after the onset of COVID-19, 12.8% were on standby at home, and 13.6% were working for anti-epidemic. More than 51% of the respondents states their wiliness of being appointed as a front-line medical staffs for the anti-epidemic work, but their main psychological burden is from their family's concern. 2) 93% of the respondents present their confidence of overcoming COVID-19. 92% said they were well aware of personal protective measures, but 31% of them expressed concern about being infected, and 28% concerns about the current situation would have impact on the near future of OD&T. 3) Respondents reported that the epidemic had various impacts on their work, among which the pressure on the relevant medical staffs and the lack of medical resources were the top two, and the concerns about the impact on the treatment of potential donors and transplant patients or postoperative follow-up were also listed. 4) " Receiving enough supply of protective medical materials when they are on duty" was the top wishes expressed by medical staffs. 5) The results of mental state assessment showed that 27% of the respondents had mild anxiety and 9% had moderate or serious anxiety. 57% of the respondents hope to get psychological support from the hospital, and 13.8% of them hope to get substantial psychological counseling support.
Discussion: Due to the limited sample size of this survey, the paper may have some defects. By further expanding the sample size and extending the survey time, we can get more accurate conclusions.
Conclusion: Steps and actions have been taking by the Chinese government to fight against the virus and to protect the citizens. Meanwhile, this study shows preliminary results of the impact of COVID-19 on the work of medical staffs in OD&T. The current epidemic situation has caused work pressure on the front-line staff. As for OD&T, we suggest that medical staffs working in the field should not only be familiar with personal protective measures of COVID-19, but also be familiar with its basic diagnostic methods. Concerns should be paid when evaluating transplant patients and potential donors. Specific actions could be planned to fit the needs of staffs in the fields.