Burnout syndrome among doctors and nurses during the covid-19 pandemic in a university hospital

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: Burnout syndrome is an important problem among healthcare workers. During the Covid-19 pandemic, healthcare professionals have struggled with an unprecedented effort. The aim of this study is to investigate occupational burnout levels among healthcare professionals working at Afyonkarahisar Health Sciences University during the Covid-19 pandemic.MATERIAL AND METHODS: This study was carried out at the Afyonkarahisar Health Sciences University between February 1st and March 1st, 2021. G* power package software was used in the sample calculation. A questionnaire form consisting of 20 parameters on demographic data and work life was used. Maslach Burnout Inventory was used as the burnout scale.RESULTS: A total of 312 healthcare professionals participated in this study. 139 of the participants were men (44.6%) and 173 were women (55.4%). The mean age of the participants was 30.7± 7.28. 138 of the participants were doctors (44.2%) and 174 were nurses (55.8%). 110 of the participants were working in a covid ward or covid intensive care unit (ICU) (35.3%) and 202 were working in other departments (64.7%). The mean subscale scores were 19.21±7.28 for emotional exhaustion, 7.31±7.19 for depersonalization, and 20.05±3.88 for personal accomplishment. These results show that healthcare workers experience high levels of burnout according to the emotional exhaustion and personal accomplishment subscales and moderate burnout according to the depersonalization subscale.CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study are very valuable for establishing future prevention protocols and educating healthcare professionals in the face of a pandemic. Based on our findings, we suggest closely monitoring risk groups that work directly with Covid-19 patients and providing psychological support when necessary. Also, making the necessary arrangements in working conditions is crucial to increase job satisfaction and reduce burnout in healthcare workers.