Introduction:

There are few studies on COVID-19-related concern and fear among emergency healthcare professionals.

Objective:

To characterize concern and fear about COVID-19 among Peruvian emergency nurses.

Methods:

A quantitative, cross-sectional, correlational study was conducted in two Lima hospitals between February and June 2021. A total of 212 nurses, selected through purposive sampling, participated. The Concern about COVID-19 Contagion Scale and the Fear of COVID-19 Scale were used, both showing reliability (Cronbach's alpha>0.7) and good psychometric properties. Instruments were self-administered online and in person. Descriptive and comparative analyses were performed using ANOVA and Pearson correlation tests, with significance set at p<0.01.

Results:

Of the participants, 72.6% were women, with a mean age of 37.45 years; 92.5% worked on-site, and 80.7% were fully vaccinated. Moderate levels of concern (12.9±3.2 points) and fear (17.9±4.7 points) predominated. A total of 41% often thought about contagion, 45.3% reported that it affected their mood, but 82.5% stated it did not impact their work performance. Women, unvaccinated participants, and those working on-site showed lower concern, while men, those with only one vaccine dose, and on-site workers reported greater fear, including fear of death (35.3%).

Conclusions:

Levels of concern and fear about COVID-19 among Peruvian nurses are mostly moderate, with significant variations by sex, vaccination status, and work modality, suggesting the potential emotional impact of the pandemic on this group.

        · resumen en Español     · texto en Español | Inglés     · Español ( pdf ) | Inglés ( pdf )