CALL CENTERS AS INFORMATION AND PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSISTANCE TO THE POPULATION DURING THE SPREAD OF THE NOVEL CORONAVIRUS INFECTION (COVID-19)

Provision of information and psychological support was necessary assistance to the population during the pandemic. Objective: to investigate the role and effectiveness of call centers during the spread of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19). Material and methods. A questionnaire that included 14 questions was designed to place in social networks. The investigation was conducted using Google Forms. Results. There was a high social activity was noted: 370 people including the employees of call centers, mostly medical students, took part in the survey during a day. The questionnaire analysis could create a portrait of citizens who most commonly applied to the call center: their mean age was 46-60 years: these who were employed or family persons: lived with their retired parents: these who applied more frequently in the evening on Saturday and Sunday: these who had no effect of self-medication or were anxious, panic about the available information on the growth of patients in social networks, with claims to the inability to get qualified help. After 2 months of work, social tension was noted to be relieved: appeals were associated with the need to obtain specific information: and the state of panic appeals decreased by 70%. Conclusion. Today, call centers that provide not only a buffer function, but also a real help to people in a difficult psychoemotional situation are one of the measures that curb the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic.

COVID-19, COVID-19, call center, estimate of efficiency, survey, psychoemotional state, panic, Samara Region