Novel coronavirus pandemic and burnout of healthcare workers

Introduction. The novel coronavirus pandemic has a serious impact on the psychological health of healthcare workers.

The purpose of the study is to investigate the syndrome of emotional burnout among medical workers.

Materials and methods. Groups of medical workers in COVID hospitals (n=201), groups of medical workers in multidisciplinary hospitals (n=195), groups of outpatient medical workers (n=186), as well as a control group (n=190) were studied.

Results. According to the Maslach Burnout test, group of medical workers of COVID-hospitals; a group of medical workers of the outpatient level a group of medical workers of multidisciplinary hospitals who provide medical care in their main profile have a significant increase in the indicators of “exhaustion” and “depersonalization” and a significant decrease in the indicator “reduction of personal achievements” compared with the control group. Medical workers of COVID-hospitals have significantly higher indicators of “emotional exhaustion” and “depersonalization” compared to medical workers of multidisciplinary hospitals (p≤0.001) and medical workers of outpatient clinics (p≤0.001). Medical workers in COVID hospitals have a significantly lower indicator of “reduction in personal achievements” compared to medical workers in general hospitals and outpatient clinics (p≤0.001).

Limitations. As limitations, the following were identified: assessment of the dynamics of the burnout syndrome in future employees of COVID-hospitals, outpatient clinics and inpatients in the course of increasing seniority rises; assessment of the dynamics of the burnout syndrome in future specialists of COVID hospitals, outpatient clinics and hospitals, depending on the ongoing psychological and pharmacological correction.

Conclusions. A comparative assessment revealed medical workers in COVID hospitals to have significantly higher rates of “emotional exhaustion”, “depersonalization” and lower values ​​of the indicator “reduction of personal achievements”, compared with medical workers of multidisciplinary hospitals and outpatient clinics.

Compliance with ethical prescriptions. The study was carried out within the framework of the complex department of occupational diseases and clinical pharmacology of the Honored Scientist of the Russian Federation, Professor Kosarev V.V. “A systematic approach to early diagnosis, prevention and prediction of the impact on health of the production of low-intensity production factors” (state registration number АААА-А18-118122190069-6; registration date 12/21/2018). The study was approved by the local ethics committee of Samara State Medical University of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation on November 23, 2021.

Patient consent. Each participant of the study gave informed voluntary written consent to participate in the study and publish personal medical information in an impersonal form in the journal "Gigiena i Sanitariya (Hygiene and Sanitation, Russian journal)".

Contribution:
Melentev A.V. — concept and design of the research, editing, approval of the final version of the article, responsibility for the integrity of all parts of the article;
Babanov S.A. — concept and design of research, collection and processing of material, statistical processing, text writing;
Ostryakova N.A. — concept and design of the study, collection and processing of material, statistical processing, editing, responsibility for the integrity of all parts of the article;
Agarkova A.S. — concept and design of the study, writing text.  

Conflict of interest. The authors declare no conflict of interest. 

Acknowledgement. The study had no sponsorship. 

Received: April 29, 2022 / Accepted: August 04, 2022 / Published: September 14, 2022