key: cord-0792430-vz8qjvwc authors: Rezaei-Kalat, Afsaneh; Javanbakht, Arash; Jafarzadeh Esfehani, Reza; Reza Fayyazi Bordbar, Mohammad title: A Computerized Platform for Screening and Management of Psychological Characteristics of Healthcare Providers during Novel Coronavirus Infection date: 2021-09-03 journal: Iran J Med Sci DOI: 10.30476/ijms.2021.89183.1990 sha: bdd058da18d6164cb930018a2248a13520cb8179 doc_id: 792430 cord_uid: vz8qjvwc nan The Platform analysis the responses for GHQ and MBI according to the following protocol Step 1 Step 2 Step 3 GHQ Individuals who scored>11 in 2 different domains or had total score>40 considered as high-risks receives: A. Daily video clips and spiritual texts according to the domains that scored>11. B. a pop-up notification as advice for consultation with psychiatrists. C. a pop-up notification to complete the questionnaires 2 weeks later. A. Daily video clips and spiritual textsrandomly generated by the software. B. a pop-up notification to complete the questionnaires 2 weeks later. MBI Individuals score as "high" in depersonalization and emotional exhaustion domains or "low" in lack of accomplishment domains considered as high risks A. Daily video clips and spiritual texts according to the domains. B. a pop-up notification as advice for consultation with psychiatrists. B. a pop-up notification to complete the questionnaires 2 weeks later. A. Daily video clips and spiritua texts randomly generated by the software. B. a pop-up notification to complete the questionnaires 2 weeks later. the outbreak in our country, the platform was launched for Mashhad University of Medical Sciences employees. Every individual could freely sign up for a free account and access the platform from any mobile or computer device after completing an online Terms and Conditions agreement form. After activating a personal account, the programmed questionnaires were provided on a new screen. After filling the questionnaires, the platform automatically interprets the responses and provides individualized results in a separate pop-up window. Each individual was then categorized based on the results and received an individualized intervention (figure 1). Every user was provided with a list of phone numbers that they could freely call whenever they felt they need to talk about their mental health or seek psychiatric interventions. Moreover, an anonymous offline chat on the platform was designed for those, who hesitate to make phone calls. A group of psychologists were educated to answer phone calls and off-line chats whenever the platform sends them notifications. Within the first week of launching the program in mid-April 2020, a total number of 220 individuals registered on the platform. Among them, 93 filled the questionnaires, and others only downloaded daily educational packages. The general health questionnaire (GHQ) and Maslach burnout inventory (MBI) results are summarized in figures 2 and 3. 4, 5 Among the responders, 50 reported that they did not have direct contact with confirmed cases of COVID-19. Among those with a history of direct contact and those without that, the Mann-Whitney U test did not reveal any significant relationships in somatic symptoms (P=0.631), anxiety symptoms (P=0.347), social dysfunction (P=0.141), depression symptoms (P=0.952), and the total score (P=0.681) of GHQ. Additionally, the Mann-Whitney U test did not reveal any significant relationships between emotional exhaustion (P=0.453), depersonalization (P=0.999), and lack of accomplishment (P=0.312) of MBI. Various silent features of the COVID-19 pandemic threaten the psychological well-being of the general population, specifically the medical staff and healthcare workers. 6 The medical team in hospitals seems to be a complicated small population with unique psychological characteristics in every city. During the COVID-19 pandemic, hospitals faced various difficulties and their workers experienced different forms of psychological distresse. Our primary results demonstrated that the medical staffs at Mashhad University of Medical Sciences have acceptable burnout and general health during the COVID-19 outbreak. Our study were similar to the findings of a previous study regarding the acceptable burnout rate in those who are working in the front line. 7 We believe that other researchers could adapt our algorithm and provide timely and appropriate interventions for medical health care providers during the COVID-19 outbreak. In conclusion, we revealed that our algorithm can provide further individualized psychoeducational materials for healthcare workers, who do not have enough free time to choose the most appropriate educational materials for themselves. Furthermore, this population could be routinely screened and receive timely follow-up of their psychological report according to their responses to any specific questionnaire provided by the administrator and receive individualized educational materials. Mental health care for medical staff in China during the COVID-19 outbreak The emotional impact of COVID-19: From medical staff to common people Telemedicine and Computer-Based Technologies during Coronavirus Disease A Chance to Educate and Diagnose The reliability and validity of Persian version of the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-60) in industry staff Evaluation of the Persian Version of Maslach Burnout Inventory-Human Services Survey among Iranian Nurses: Validity and Reliability Mental health and emotional impact of COVID-19: Applying Health Belief Model for medical staff to general public of Pakistan A Comparison of Burnout Frequency Among Oncology Physicians and Nurses Working on the Frontline and Usual Wards During the COVID-19 Epidemic in Wuhan The present study was financially supported by the Vice Chancellor of Research of Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran (grant number: 981795).