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. 2024 Aug 23;10(17):e36769.
doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e36769. eCollection 2024 Sep 15.

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on burnout levels among healthcare workers: A comparative analysis of the pandemic period and post-pandemic period

Andrey Reshetnikov  1 , Olga Abaeva  1 , Nadezhda Prisyazhnaya  1 , Tatyana Romanova  2 , Sergey Romanov  2 , Konstantin Sobolev  3 , Anahit Manukyan  1
Affiliations

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on burnout levels among healthcare workers: A comparative analysis of the pandemic period and post-pandemic period

Andrey Reshetnikov et al. Heliyon. .

Abstract

Emotional burnout among physicians is a serious problem that can affect their health and the quality of medical care. This condition occurs when physicians experience excessive stress and pressure at work, often due to high demands and expectations imposed on them by patients. This study aims to assess the experience and factors associated with emotional burnout among health workers who deal with COVID-19-positive patients. The study population includes employees at the infectious diseases hospital and the inpatient clinical hospital examined using the Maslach Burnout Inventory. The prevalence of high emotional exhaustion among infectious diseases specialists and inpatient physicians was 51.2 ± 3.4 % and 43.3 ± 8.1 %, respectively. The prevalence of high depersonalization was 39.4 ± 7.9 % and 40.5 ± 8.1 %, respectively. Finally, the prevalence of reduced professional efficacy was 26.3 ± 7.1 % and 41.3 ± 8.3 %, respectively. The main burnout contributors were a heavy workload, a high risk of infection, the lack of protective equipment, insufficient social support, constant interaction with suffering patients, and work-life imbalance. To prevent burnout among health workers who deal with COVID-19-positive patients, it is best to create a working environment that is conducive to good physical and mental health, implement stress management courses, and provide employees with enough time for rest and recovery. These preventive measures will help to improve the quality of health care. The findings of the study can be utilized for the development of support programs for healthcare professionals, improvement of working conditions, and reduction of the risk of emotional burnout.

Keywords: Health; Hospital; Infectious diseases hospital; Inpatient hospital; Medical staff; Survey.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
MBI subscale scores for healthcare professionals in (a) the infectious diseases hospital and (b) the inpatient clinical hospital.
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
The percentage of infectious disease specialists with different burnout levels.
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
The percentage of inpatient physicians with different burnout levels.
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
The percentage of infectious disease specialists with different burnout levels, 2024.
Fig. 5
Fig. 5
The percentage of infectious disease specialists with different burnout levels, 2024.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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