Pain, Sleep Disturbance and Smoking Among Patients with Covid-19 Presenting to the Emergency Department

AİM: The study aimed to determine the pain, sleep disturbance, and smoking among patients with Covid-19 who were presented to emergency departments.

This descriptive research was conducted between November 2020 and December 2021. The study population comprised 400 patients with COVID-19 who were presented to emergency departments at Ataturk University Research Hospital and Erzurum City Hospital and who agreed to participate in the study. The data were collected by the researcher via face-to-face interviews. Personal Information Form, Fagerström Test for Nicotine Dependence, Insomnia Severity Index, and McGill Pain Scale Short Form were used to collect the data. Descriptive statistics were presented as number, percentage, mean, and standard deviation. Parametric and nonparametric methods (t-test, Kruskal-Wallis Variance, Mann-Whitney U test, and Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) were used to compare variables between the groups. Ethical approval was obtained from the relevant authority prior to data collection and oral consent was obtained from all patients.

It was determined that 52.5% of the patients were smokers; 24% of the smokers reported a decrease in smoking after being diagnosed with COVID-19. Nicotine addiction was found to be higher in men, tradesmen, and patients aged 55-64 years. McGill pain scale emotional sub-dimension scores were higher in women, whereas the sensory sub-dimension scores were higher in married patients. McGill pain scale total scores were higher in women, unemployed patients, and those with chronic diseases. Insomnia severity index was higher in women, smokers, and patients in the age group of 65-75 years.

According to the results of the present study, pain, smoking, and sleep disorders in patients diagnosed with COVID-19 were affected by socio-demographic characteristics.