Study of attitude and behaviour of healthcare professionals towards the patients in an Emergency Department during the COVID-19 pandemic

Background: COVID-19 outbreak is known to have a psychological impact on patients. Background and Objective: The main aim of the study was a to study the attitude and behavior of health care professionals (HCPs) in the emergency department towards chronic patients during COVID-19 pandemic and also the accessibility of healthcare system during COVID-19 period and to compare it with the pre-COVID period. Materials and Methods: A random sampling technique was used, and a pre-designed questionnaire named the Brief Emergency Department Patients' Satisfaction Scale was adopted to record the patient's satisfaction with the healthcare services. Results: The patients admitted to the emergency ward felt that the nursing and physicians' care in the emergency department was highly satisfactory in the pre-COVID period. In the COVID period, the same set of patients who got admitted felt that there was a deterioration in the behaviour and attitude of the HCPs towards them. In the COVID period, 30% of the patients felt that there was a marked deterioration in the general services in the emergency department. It was also observed in the study, that there was a marked change in the attitude and behaviour of the HCPs in the emergency department at the time of the COVID pandemic. Conclusion: COVID-19 has significantly changed the attitude and behaviour of HCPs. The disease has critically transformed the working environment and the approach of HCPs to treat the patients. It is imperative to employ productive strategies to care for the health of our HCP.