Mental State of Central Sterile Supply Department Staff During COVID-19 Epidemic and CART Analysis
Abstract Background: During COVID-19 epidemic, the central sterile supply department (CSSD) staff need to handle a large number of devices, utensils and non-disposable protective articles used by suspected or confirmed COVID-19 patients. This may bring psychological stress to the CSSD staff. However, the mental state of the CSSD staff during COVID-19 epidemic has been rarely studied. We aim to investigate the mental state of the CSSD staff and the relevant influencing factors during COVID-19 epidemic.Methods: Conduct the questionnaire survey with the general information questionnaire, Chinese perceived stress scale (CPSS), self-rating anxiety scale (SAS), and Connor-Davidson resilience scale (CD-RISC) among 423 CSSD staff from 35 hospitals in Sichuan Province, China. Analyse the data in SPSS 24.0, use classification and regression tree (CART) to analyse variables, and find variation between groups. Perform chi-square test on enumeration data, and perform t-test and analysis of variance on measurement data.Results: The CSSD staff’s SAS score was 37.39 ± 8.458, their CPSS score was 19.21 ± 7.265, and their CD-RISC score was 64.26 ± 15.129 (Tenacity factor score: 31.70 ± 8.066, Strength factor score: 21.60 ± 5.066, Optimism factor scores: 10.96 ± 3.189). The CPSS score was positively correlated with the SAS score (r = 0.66; P < 0.01), the CPSS score was negatively correlated with the CD-RISC score (r = -0.617, P < 0.01), and the SAS score was negatively correlated with the CD-RISC score (r = -0.477, P < 0.01). The job, age and political status of the CSSD staff were the main factors affecting their mental state. The CPSS score and SAS score of the CSSD nurses were significantly different from those of the CSSD logistic staff (P < 0.01). Conclusion: During the epidemic, the CSSD staff’s psychological resilience was at a low level, and the anxiety level of the CSSD nurses was higher than that of the CSSD logistic staff. Therefore, more attention shall be paid to the mental health of the CSSD staff, and it is necessary to take the protective measures regarding the risk factors at work to ensure they can maintain a good mental state during the epidemic.