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. 2022 Mar 1;61(5):647-651.
doi: 10.2169/internalmedicine.8118-21. Epub 2021 Dec 18.

Prevalence of Burnout among Internal Medicine and Primary Care Physicians before and during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Japan

Saori Nonaka  1 , Tetsuya Makiishi  2 , Yoshito Nishimura  3 , Kazuya Nagasaki  4 , Kiyoshi Shikino  5 , Masashi Izumiya  6 , Mitsuru Moriya  7 , Michito Sadohara  8 , Yoichi Ohtake  9 , Akira Kuriyama  10
Affiliations

Prevalence of Burnout among Internal Medicine and Primary Care Physicians before and during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Japan

Saori Nonaka et al. Intern Med. .

Abstract

Objective To evaluate the change in the prevalence of burnout during the COVID-19 pandemic among internists and primary care physicians in Japan, and to identify factors associated with the exacerbation of burnout among these populations during this period. Methods This was a cross-sectional study based on two web-based surveys conducted in January 2020 (before the declaration of the COVID-19 pandemic) and June 2020 (during the pandemic). The participants were internists and primary care physicians of the Japanese Chapter of the American College of Physicians. The main outcome was the change in the prevalence of burnout between before and during the "first wave" of the pandemic. We also examined factors associated with the exacerbation of burnout during this period. Results Among the 283 respondents in the first survey and 322 in the second survey, 98 (34.6%) and 111 (34.5%) reported symptoms of burnout, respectively. In June 2020, 82 respondents (25.5%) reported that their level of burnout exacerbated compared to January 2020. Only the experience of self-quarantine was associated with the exacerbation of burnout [odds ratio (OR) 3.12; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.49-6.50; p=0.002], while being a woman, being a resident physician, and an experience of having worked in a prefecture under a state of emergency were not. Conclusions No marked change in the prevalence of burnout among internists and primary care physicians in Japan was observed during the COVID-19 pandemic as a whole. However, self-quarantine was associated with the exacerbation of the burnout level.

Keywords: COVID-19; burnout; pandemics; professional; quarantine.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors state that they have no Conflict of Interest (COI).

Figures

Figure.
Figure.
The trend in COVID-19 PCR-positive results in Japan. Source: Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare. The trend in COVID-19 PCR-positive results in Japan. https://www.mhlw.go.jp/stf/ covid-19/open-data.html. Accessed Feb 1 2021. PCR: polymerase chain reaction
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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