Perception of the 2020 SARS-CoV-2 pandemic among medical professionals in Germany: results from a nationwide online survey

Figures & data

Table 1. Characteristics of study population.

Characteristics	Study population
Number of participants	n  = 2827
Age (years, median and range)	42 [18–80]
Gender (%)  Female  Male  Diverse  no answer	51.1 47.6 0 1.3
Professional group (%)  Doctors  Nursing staff  Others (e.g. psychotherapists, physiotherapists, occupational therapists)	65.6 29.5 4.9
Work site (%)  University Hospital/maximum-care hospital  Regional hospital  Ambulatory healthcare centre/medical practice  Private clinic  Rehabilitation clinic  Others (e.g. ambulatory nursing service)  No answer	43.8 26.5 21.6 2.1 1.6 3.9 0.5
Work environment (%)  Outpatient clinic  Standard care ward  Intensive care unit  Operating room  Diagnostics  Not applicable (e.g. ambulatory sector)	10.0 26.5 17.2 14.2 5.2 26.8
Federal state of the work site (%)  East German federal states (inlc. Berlin)  West German federal states	89.6 10.4
Timeframe of online survey	27.03.2020 to 11.04.2020

Table 2. General perception of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic among medical professionals in Germany.

	Not at all (1)	Hardly (2)	Moderately (3)	Strongly (4)	Very strongly (5)	p-value
How threatened do you feel by the COVID-19 pandemic?	2.9% (82)	18.2% (515)	50.2% (1419)	23.4% (661)	5.3% (150)
Female Male	1.9% (28) 4.0% (54)	15.1% (218) 21.5% (289)	50.5% (730) 50.0% (673)	26.5% (383) 20.0% (269)	6.0% (87) 4.5% (60)	< 0.001
Medical doctors Nursing staff Others	3.1% (57) 2.6% (22) 2.2% (3)	19.5% (362) 14.8% (123) 21.6% (30)	51.5% (955) 47.5% (396) 48.9% (68)	21.5% (400) 27.5% (229) 23.0% (32)	4.4% (81) 7.6% (63) 4.3% (6)	< 0.001  0.931
Do you fear that past health policy decisions will have a negative impact on the COVID-19 pandemic in Germany?	1.1% (31)	7.4% (201)	20.6% (562)	39.7% (1083)	31.2% (850)
Medical doctors Nursing staff Others	0.9% (16) 1.4% (11) 3.2% (4)	8.3% (150) 4.8% (38) 10.3% (13)	22.5% (407) 15.7% (125) 23.8% (30)	40.4% (729) 39.2% (312) 33.3% (42)	27.9% (503) 38.9% (310) 29.4% (37)	< 0.001  0.428
Intensive care Unit (ICU) Other work environments (outpatient clinic, standard care ward, operating room, diagnostics)	1.3% (6) 1.2% (18)	5.8% (27) 7.5% (115)	19.3% (90) 20.1% (308)	36.4% (170) 40.8% (627)	37.3% (174) 30.4% (467)	0.019
	Very poor (1)	Poor (2)	Neutral (3)	Good (4)	Very Good (5)
How well prepared do you think Germany is for the COVID-19 pandemic?	6.5% (183)	31.2% (883)	24.7% (698)	34.1% (963)	3.5% (100)
Medical doctors Nursing staff Others	5.0% (93) 10.3% (86) 2.9% (4)	29.8% (552) 35.3% (294) 26.6% (37)	24.0% (446) 25.5% (212) 28.8% (40)	37.1% (688) 26.4% (220) 39.5% (55)	4.1% (76) 2.5% (21) 2.2% (3)	< 0.001 0.520
University hospital/maximum-care hospital Regional hospital Ambulatory healthcare centre/medical practice Private clinic Rehabilitation clinic Others (e.g. ambulatory nursing service)	5.1% (63) 6.1% (46) 8.0% (49) 6.7% (4) 6.7% (3) 14.4% (16)	27.5% (340) 30.8% (231) 37.8% (231) 30.0% (18) 28.9% (13) 39.6% (44)	24.6 (304) 25.5% (191) 24.1% (147) 30.0% (18) 15.6% (7) 24.3% (27)	38.7% (479) 34.7% (260) 27.2 (166) 26.7% (16) 40% (18) 20.7% (23)	4.2% (52) 2.8% (21) 2.9% (18) 6.7% (4) 8.9% (4) 0.9% (1)	0.009 < 0.001 0.294 0.655 < 0.001
How do you rate the increasing restrictions in public life?	1.1% (29)	3.8% (102)	5.1% (138)	31.9% (856)	58.1% (1562)
	1 Month (1)	3 Month (2)	6 Month (3)	12 Month (4)	>1 year (5)
How long will it take until public life mainly normalizes in Germany?	1.3% (36)	20.6% (583)	40.9% (1155)	17.2% (486)	20.1% (567)
	<1% (1)	1–3% (2)	3–5% (3)	5–10% (4)	>10% (5)
What percentage of infected people will die from COVID-19 infection in Germany?	21.4% (606)	51.9% (1467)	19.4% (549)	6.4% (180)	0.9% (25)
Medical doctors Nursing staff Others	27.1% (505) 10.0% (83) 12.9% (18)	55.1% (1023) 44.1% (367) 55.4% (77)	14.3% (266) 30.3% (252) 22.3% (31)	3.1% (58) 13.3% (111) 7.9% (11)	0.2% (3) 2.4% (20) 1.4% (2)	<0.001 <0.001

Notes: In case of multiple pairwise comparisons, the level of significance was adjusted by Bonferroni correction. A p-value of 0.017 for three groups and 0.003 for six groups was considered statistically significant.

Figure 1. Preparations of Germany for the COVID-19 pandemic. (A) The nursing staff state that Germany is significantly worse prepared compared to doctors (p < 0.001). Germany’s preventive measures are rated significantly better at university and maximum-care hospitals compared to ambulatory healthcare centers and medical practices (p < 0.001). (B) Compared to doctors, nurses fear a more negative impact of past healthcare policy decisions on the COVID-19 pandemic in Germany (p < 0.001). Participants working on an ICU assume a more negative impact compared to participants from other working environments (p = 0.019).

Table 3. Evaluation of work-related aspects within the German health care system during the COVID-19 pandemic.

	Not at all (1)	Hardly (2)	Moderately (3)	Strongly (4)	Very strongly (5)	p -value
Has your daily work routine changed because of the COVID-19 outbreak?	0.4% (11)	3.1% (86)	14.6% (400)	41.9% (1145)	40.0% (1093)
Medical doctors Nursing staff Others	0.4% (8) 0.3% (2) 0.8% (1)	2.3% (42) 4.8% (38) 5.5% (6)	14.5% (262) 14.4% (115) 18.0% (23)	41.1% (744) 44.4% (354) 36.7% (47)	41.6% (753) 36.2% (289) 39.8% (51)	0.008 0.271
Do you expect the COVID-19 pandemic to increase the financial value of your professional group?	30.3% (827)	38.1% (1039)	15.6% (427)	9.2% (251)	6.8% (185)
Medical doctors Nursing staff Others	35.0% (633) 21.0% (167) 21.4% (27)	40.8% (736) 32.4% (258) 35.7% (45)	14.7% (266) 16.3% (130) 24.6% (31)	6.4% (115) 15.2% (121) 11.9% (15)	3.1% (56) 15.2% (121) 6.3% (8)	< 0.001 < 0.001
	Not at all (1)	Hardly (2)	Significantly (3)	Completely (4)		p -value
To what extent is the routine operation of your institution restricted due to the COVID-19 pandemic?	2.7% (73)	13.0% (355)	72.4% (1974)	11.9% (323)
University hospital/maximum-care hospital Regional hospital Ambulatory healthcare centre/medical practice Private clinic Rehabilitation clinic Others (e.g. ambulatory nursing service)	2.3% (28) 1.4% (10) 2.4% (14) 1.7% (1) 4.5% (2) 16.5% (16)	9.2% (110) 8.7% (63) 20.5% (122) 25.4% (15) 29.5% (13) 28.9% (28)	76.8% (916) 78.2% (568) 66.6% (396) 59.3% (35) 47.7% (21) 33.0% (32)	11.6% (138) 11.7% (85) 10.6% (63) 13.6% (8) 18.2% (8) 21.6% (21)		0.439 < 0.001  0.045  0.038 < 0.001
	Never (1)	Only once (2)	Only for a short time (3)	Regularly (4)	Continuously (5)	p -value
Was there a shortage of consumables (e.g. face masks or protective gowns) in your institution at one time to protect against SARS-CoV-2?	21.9% (596)	7.0% (191)	27.5% (749)	20.9% (569)	22.7% (618)
University hospital/maximum-care hospital Regional hospital Ambulatory healthcare centre/medical practice Private clinic Rehabilitation clinic Others (e.g. ambulatory nursing service)	26.5% (316) 25.7% (186) 9.2% (55) 25.4% (15) 18.2% (8) 14.4% (14)	8.0% (95) 7.0% (51) 5.0% (30) 10.2% (6) 9.1% (4) 4.1% (4)	30.9% (368) 31.2% (226) 16.1% (96) 28.8% (17) 36.4% (16) 24.7% (24)	18.1% (215) 21.4% (155) 26.5% (158) 16.9% (10) 13.6% (6) 22.7% (22)	16.5% (197) 14.8% (107) 43.1% (257) 18.6% (11) 22.7% (10) 34% (33)	0.663 < 0.001  0.875  0.312 < 0.001
East German federal states West German federal states	22.0% (537) 20.6% (59)	7.2% (176) 5.2 (15)	28.0% (683) 23.1% (66)	21.1% (515) 18.9% (54)	21.6% (526) 32.2% (92)	0.004
	Very negative (1)	Negative (2)	Neutral (3)	Positive (4)	Very positive (5)	p -value
How do you rate the measures taken by your employer against COVID-19?	3.7% (101)	15.7% (429)	25.0% (680)	40.3% (1097)	15.3% (418)
University hospital/ maximum-care hospital Regional hospital Ambulatory healthcare centre/medical practice Private clinic Rehabilitation clinic Others (e.g. ambulatory nursing service)	3.3% (39) 4.3% (31) 3.0% (18) 3.4% (2) 6.8% (3) 8.1% (8)	15.7% (187) 17.5% (127) 10.5% (62) 25.4% (15) 20.5% (9) 25.3% (25)	22.7% (271) 26.6% (193) 27.9% (165) 18.6% (11) 27.3% (12) 22.2% (22)	40.6% (485) 39.3% (285) 44.1% (261) 35.6% (21) 27.3% (12) 32.3% (32)	17.8% (212) 12.4% (90) 14.5% (86) 16.9% (10) 18.2% (8) 12.1% (12)	0.001  0.889  0.278  0.164  0.001

Notes: In case of multiple pairwise comparisons, the level of significance was adjusted by Bonferroni correction. A p-value of p = 0.017 for three groups and p = 0.003 for six groups was considered statistically significant.

Figure 2. Shortage of medial protective equipment. According to the statement of medical professionals in Germany, shortage of medical protective equipment is significantly more common in ambulatory healthcare centres/medical practices compared to university hospitals (p < 0.001).

Figure 3. Personal impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. (A) The personal mood of female participants is more negatively influenced by the COVID-19 pandemic compared to males. (B) The willingness to be vaccinated against SARS-CoV-2 – once a clinically proven vaccine became available – is significantly higher compared to annual influence vaccination rates (p < 0.001). Doctors show a significantly higher willingness to be vaccinated regarding the annual influenza (p < 0.001) as well as SARS-CoV2 (p < 0.001) when compared to participants from the nursing sector.

Table 4. Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on personal aspects of medical professionals in Germany.

	Not at all (1)	Hardly (2)	Moderately (3)	Strongly (4)	Very strongly (5)	p -value
How much is your private life restricted by the COVID-19 pandemic?	0.2% (5)	4.2% (113)	20.2% (543)	44.7% (1200)	30.7% (825)
Female Male	0.1% (2) 0.2% (3)	4.3% (59) 4.1% (53)	18.5% (252) 22.1% (285)	42.2% (575) 47.6% (615)	34.8% (475) 26.0% (336)	<0.001
How concerned are you about your own health in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic?	5.8% (155)	31.7% (852)	41.9% (1126)	15.0% (403)	5.6% (150)
Female Male	5.6% (76) 6.0% (78)	30.8% (420) 32.5% (420)	40.6% (553) 43.3% (559)	16.8% (229) 13.2% (171)	6.2% (85) 5.0% (64)	0.024
Medical doctors Nursing staff Others	6.3% (113) 4.6% (36) 5.0% (6)	34.3% (613) 25.5% (199) 33.3% (40)	43.5% (777) 38.6% (301) 40.0% (48)	11.9% (213) 21.8% (170) 16.7% (20)	3.9% (70) 9.5% (74) 5.0% (6)	<0.001  0.260
How concerned are you about the health of others in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic?	0.6% (15)	4.4% (119)	28.9% (777)	46.0% (1236)	20.0% (538)
Female Male	0.5% (7) 0.6% (8)	3.2% (43) 5.7% (73)	23.8% (325) 34.6% (447)	46.2% (630) 45.9% (592)	26.3% (358) 13.2% (171)	<0.001
Medical doctors Nursing staff Others	0.6% (10) 0.6% (5) 0% (0)	5.5% (99) 2.6% (20) 0% (0)	32.6% (582) 20.0% (156) 32.5% (39)	45.9% (820) 47.2% (368) 40.0% (48)	15.4% (274) 29.6% (231) 27.5% (33)	<0.001  0.004
	Very negative (1)	Negative (2)	Neutral (3)	Positive (4)	Very positive (5)	p -value
How does the COVID-19 pandemic influence your personal mood?	5.4% (144)	48.3% (1280)	43.7% (1158)	2.5% (67)	0% (1)
Female Male	6.3% (84) 4.4% (57)	49.8% (665) 46.4% (595)	41.9% (560) 46.1% (591)	2.0% (27) 3.0% (39)	0% (0) 0.1% (1)	0.002

Notes: In case of multiple pairwise comparisons, the level of significance was adjusted by Bonferroni correction. A p-value of p = 0.017 for three groups and p = 0.003 for six groups was considered statistically significant.