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. 2021 Jun;17(3):402.e1-402.e7.
doi: 10.1016/j.jpurol.2021.01.015. Epub 2021 Jan 22.

Burnout syndrome in pediatric urology: A perspective during the COVID-19 pandemic - Ibero-American survey

Johanna Ovalle Diaz  1 , Antonio Rebello Horta Gorgen  2 , Aline Gularte Teixeira da Silva  2 , Artur de Oliveira Paludo  2 , Renan Timóteo de Oliveira  2 , Nicolino Rosito  2 , Ubirajara Barroso Jr  3 , Juan Pablo Corbetta  4 , Pedro-José López Egaña  5 , Patric Machado Tavares  2 , Tiago Elias Rosito  6
Affiliations

Burnout syndrome in pediatric urology: A perspective during the COVID-19 pandemic - Ibero-American survey

Johanna Ovalle Diaz et al. J Pediatr Urol. 2021 Jun.

Abstract

Introduction: Burnout syndrome is a major cause of decreased life quality, mental health, and productivity for physicians. It is strongly related to work overload and has been a scarcely studied topic in pediatric urology. During the COVID-19 pandemic, authorities' recommendations have led to big changes in pediatric urology practice worldwide. This study aimed to evaluate the level of burnout in Ibero-American pediatric urologists (IPUs) during this pandemic.

Material and methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted by applying an electronic survey during the COVID-19 pandemic peak to members of the two major associations of pediatric urology in Ibero-America (the Ibero-American Society of Pediatric Urology [SIUP] and the Brazilian School of Pediatric Urology [BSPU]) to evaluate demographic, pre-pandemic, and pandemic data. Burnout levels were assessed using the Copenhagen Burnout Inventory (CBI) questionnaire.

Results: A response rate of 40% was obtained (182 out of 455 IPU respondents). Participants were from 14 different countries in Ibero-America and 75.4% were male. Data showed that during the pandemic there was a significant decrease in weekly workload, that is: > 40 h per week (h/w) (91.4%-44.6%, p < 0.001); and >6 h/w (94.9%-45.1%%, p < 0.001) in operating room time (ORT). Personal (Pe-BO), work-related (W-BO), and patient-related (Pa-BO) burnout levels among IPUs were 26.3%, 22.3%, and 7.4%, respectively (Summary table). An important difference by gender was seen, with women suffering more from the syndrome (odds ratio of 2.67 [95% confidence interval, 1.285.58; p = 0.013] for Pe-BO and OR of 3.26 [95% CI, 1.52-7.01; p = 0.004] for W-BO).

Conclusion: A significant decrease in workload for IPU during the pandemic was observed, as well as a low level of burnout syndrome during this time. However, the predominance of burnout in women found in this study is notable.

Keywords: COVID-19; Mental health; Pandemic; Pediatric urology; Professional burnout.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Distribution of hours spent by Iberoamerican pediatric urologists by activity. A) Number of hours at hospital by week. B) Number of hours at surgery by week. a = statistical significance p < 0.001 by the McNemar test.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Distribution of burnout levels by CBI questionnaire in Ibero-American pediatric urologists during the pandemic.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Burnout levels by gender, using the CBI questionnaire. A) personal-related level, B) work-related level. ∗ = significant difference p < 0.05 by Chi squared correlation test.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Personal-related burnout by the CBI questionnaire by age, with a tendency of p = 0.07 by Mann–Whitney U test.
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