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Observational Study
. 2021 Oct;119(5):317-324.
doi: 10.5546/aap.2021.eng.317.

Prevalence of stress, burnout syndrome, anxiety and depression among physicians of a teaching hospital during the COVID-19 pandemic

[Article in English, Spanish]
Francisco J Appiani  1 , Federico Rodríguez Cairoli  1 , Luis Sarotto  2 , Claudio Yaryour  3 , María E Basile  4 , Juan M Duarte  1
Affiliations
Free article
Observational Study

Prevalence of stress, burnout syndrome, anxiety and depression among physicians of a teaching hospital during the COVID-19 pandemic

[Article in English, Spanish]
Francisco J Appiani et al. Arch Argent Pediatr. 2021 Oct.
Free article

Abstract
in English, Spanish

Introduction: Health care workers experience a tremendous strain while performing their activities, very frequently leading to stress, burnout syndrome, and psychopathological impact. The COVID-19 pandemic may cause physicians to suffer these effects even to a greater extent. Our objective was to describe the frequency of stress, burnout syndrome, anxiety, and depression during the pandemic, and analyze the associations with different independent outcome measures.

Methods: Observational, cross-sectional study conducted 2 months after the lockdown was established in Argentina. Clinical specialists, surgeons, emergency physicians, and those with no direct contact with patients were surveyed using a sociodemographic questionnaire and 3 self-administered inventories: Health Professions Stress Inventory, Maslach Burnout Inventory, and Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale.

Results: The prevalence of stress was 93.7 % (95 % confidence interval [CI]: 90.33-96.2), burnout syndrome 73.5 % (95 % CI: 68.2-78.4), anxiety 44 % (95 % CI: 38.4-49.8), and depression 21.9 % (95 % CI: 17.3-26.9). No association was observed between the frequency and medical specialty. The frequency of burnout syndrome, anxiety, and depression was significantly higher among residents and physicians working in the emergency department.

Conclusions: Residents and emergency physicians working 24-hour shifts showed significantly higher percentages of burnout syndrome, anxiety, and depression compared to staff and head physicians. These findings may be associated with a higher workload and less experience. It is compulsory to take preventive and therapeutic measures to protect those in the pandemic front line.

Introducción. Los trabajadores de la salud se encuentran sometidos a una gran tensión en el desarrollo de sus actividades, lo que genera alta frecuencia de estrés, desgaste laboral e impacto psicopatológico. La pandemia de COVID-19 podría provocar un incremento de estas entidades en los médicos. El objetivo fue describir la frecuencia de estrés, síndrome de desgaste profesional (burnout), ansiedad y depresión durante la pandemia, y analizar las asociaciones con distintas variables independientes. Métodos. Estudio observacional, transversal, realizado dos meses después del inicio de la cuarentena en Argentina. Se encuestó a médicos de especialidades clínicas, quirúrgicas, solo de emergencias, y a aquellos sin contacto directo con pacientes, mediante un cuestionario sociodemográfico y tres inventarios autoadministrados: Health Professions Stress Inventory, Maslach Burnout Inventory y la Escala de ansiedad y depresión hospitalaria. Resultados. La prevalencia de estrés fue del 93,7 % (IC95 %: 90,33-96,2), burnout 73,5 % (IC95 %: 68,2-78,4), ansiedad 44 % (IC95 %: 38,4- 49,8) y depresión 21,9 % (IC95 %: 17,3-26,9). No se observó asociación entre la frecuencia y el tipo de especialidad realizada. La frecuencia de burnout, ansiedad y depresión fue significativamente mayor en los médicos residentes y en aquellos que trabajan en emergencias. Conclusiones. Los médicos residentes y quienes trabajan en emergencias en turnos de 24 horas mostraron porcentajes significativamente más altos de burnout, ansiedad y depresión, en comparación con médicos de planta y con aquellos en posiciones de liderazgo. Estos hallazgos pueden estar asociados con una mayor carga de trabajo y una menor experiencia. Es mandatorio tomar medidas preventivas y terapéuticas para preservar a quienes hacen frente a esta pandemia. Palabras clave: COVID-19.

Keywords: COVID-19; anxiety; burnout; depression; psychological stress.

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Conflict of interest statement

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References

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