Last update:
31-May-2023

OBJECTIVE To study the stigmatization of health professionals during the second wave of the pandemic.

METHOD In this cross-sectional study, 279 health professionals of two public hospitals in Attica who treated patients with COVID-19 participated. The Stigma Towards Healthcare Providers Working with COVID-19 Patients Scale (S19-HCPs) was used for data collection. It is a 27-item tool that assesses the stigmatization of healthcare professionals caring for patients with COVID-19. The scale explores six dimensions: "Fear of getting infected with SARS-CoV-2", "Practices to avoid being infected with SARS-CoV-2", "Being avoided or judged by others", "Attitudes about the affected individuals", "Health care settings' policies", "Willingness to care for COVID-19 patients". For the translation of the scale, the process of double backward translation was followed, and then cultural adaptation. Confirmatory factor analysis was performed, while reliability was tested with test-retest reliability test and the internal consistency using Cronbach's alpha index. The study was conducted during the period November–December 2020. The analysis of the data was performed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). The level of statistical significance was set at 5%.

RESULTS The average age of the sample was 51 (±17) years old, 88.5% of the participants were women while 86% belonged to the nursing staff. The highest values were recorded in the "Fear of getting infected with SARS-CoV-2" subscale (mean: 12.06±4.62) and in the "Practices to avoid being infected with SARS-CoV-2" subscale (mean: 6.81±1.60). The bivariable analysis showed that women reported a higher score (7.4±2.1) in the dimension "Being avoided or judged by others" (t=-1.994, p=0.047). A higher mean value (9.2±1.9) in the dimension "Willingness to care for COVID-19 patients" was noted by those who had been trained in the stigmatization of patients with COVID-19, compared to those who had not received similar training (8.4±1.7) (t=-2.008, p=0.046) and also, by those who had been trained in infections (8.2±1.6) (t=-2.023, p=0.044). Years of work experience were found to be negatively associated with "Fear of getting infected with SARS-CoV-2" (r=-0.189, p=0.002). Cronbach's alpha index was 0.744, while the sixfactor structural model is acceptable to the Greek population.

CONCLUSIONS Health professionals experience high levels of infection fear while women experience stigmatization more than men. Employee education and years of work are positive predictors of willingness to care for patients with COVID-19. The scale is a reliable tool for studying the stigmatization of health professionals.

Key words: COVID-19, Health care workers, Pandemic, Stigmatization.