Objective: The COVID-19 pandemic has posed a global threat to the mental health of healthcare professionals. The surgical team dealing with infected patients during the pandemic was exposed to a high risk of COVID-19 transmission. In this study, it was aimed to investigate the effect of fear of COVID-19 on the mental health of surgical personnel.

Materials and Methods: In this cross-sectional study, the COVID-19 fear scale (FCV-19S) and the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS-21) were used to investigate the mental health of surgical personnel (n = 110).

Results: The COVID-19 fear score of the surgical staff was found to be moderate [FCV-19S = 20 (15.0-24.0)]. About a third of the surgical staff suffered from depression, anxiety, and stress [41(37.27%), 35(31.82%), 34(30.91%), respectively]. The relationship between fear of COVID-19 and anxiety and stress levels was positive and significant (ρ= 0.416, p= 0.000; ρ= 0.298, p= 0.002, respectively). Women, nurses, and married (childless) staff were associated with increased levels of depression and anxiety (p<0.01, p<0.05. p<0.01, p<0.05. p<0.01, respectively).

Conclusion: During the COVID-19 pandemic, surgical staff experienced a fear of COVID-19 and related psychological problems. To maintain the operating room services efficiently, the mental health of the surgical team should be evaluated, and especially the personnel in the risk group should be supported.