A survey among physicians in surgery and anesthesiology departments after the first surge of SARS-CoV-2 infections in Germany : Preparing for further challenges ahead

Abstract

Background: The SARS-CoV‑2 pandemic has extensively challenged healthcare systems all over the world. Many elective operations were postponed or cancelled, changing priorities and workflows in surgery departments.

Aims: The primary aim of this cross-sectional study was to assess the workload and psychosocial burden of surgeons and anesthesiologists, working in German hospitals during the first wave of SARS-CoV‑2 infections in 2020.

Methods: Quantitative online survey on the workplace situation including psychosocial and work-related stress factors among resident and board-certified surgeons and anesthesiologists. Physicians in German hospitals across all levels of healthcare were contacted via departments, professional associations and social media posts.

Results: Among 154 total study participants, 54% of respondents stated a lack of personal protective equipment in their own wards and 56% reported increased staff shortages since the onset of the pandemic. While routine practice was reported as fully resumed in 71% of surgery departments at the time of the survey, work-related dissatisfaction among responding surgeons and anesthesiologists increased from 24% before the pandemic to 36% after the first wave of infections. As a countermeasure, 94% of participants deemed the establishment of action plans to increase pandemic preparedness and strengthening German public health systems a useful measure to respond to current challenges.

Conclusion: The aftermath of the first wave of SARS-CoV‑2 infections in Germany has left the surgical staff strained, despite temporarily decreased workloads. Overall, a critical review of the altered conditions is indispensable to identify and promote effective solutions and prudent action plans required to address imminent challenges.

Keywords: COVID-19; Healthcare; Stress factors; Work-related dissatisfaction; Working conditions.

Fig. 1

Flow chart of study participants. The flow chart depicts the participation in the different survey sections via the LimeSurvey platform with respective numbers (n). Since several participants dropped out, the number (n) of participants in each section is presented, alongside the drop-out rates by section. Overall, 138 people completed the entire survey

Fig. 2

Changes in working conditions comparing the situation before and during the pandemic. The bar chart depicts % changes in work-related aspects before and during the pandemic (after the first wave of SARS-CoV‑2 infections in Germany) as reported by survey participants (n = 138). The items presented are shortened statements from original questions. An exemplary pair of items (as authors’ translation from German) used is “Before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, my workload was high” and “Currently, my workload is high”

Fig. 3

Work-related stress factors perceived by study participants. The bar graph illustrates % fractions of selected work-related stress factors during the SARS-CoV‑2 as increased (more), equal or less, when compared to the situation before the pandemic by survey participants (n = 138)

Fig. 4

Correlation analysis of survey replies concerning different stress factors. The correlation matrix displays the statistical relation of answers on the questionnaire as Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient. Statistically significant results are printed in bold, non-significant results are grayed out. A correlation coefficient is usually considered to indicate a negligible correlation from 0.00 to ±0.19, a weak correlation from ±0.20 to ±0.39, a moderate correlation from ±0.40 to ±0.59, a strong correlation from ±0.60 to ±0.79, and a very strong correlation from ±0.80 to ±1.00. A positive correlation coefficient indicates a positive relationship between the two variables, while a negative correlation coefficient indicates a negative relationship