During the coronavirus pandemic, burnout, a psychological syndrome categorized by depersonalization, job stress, emotional collapse, and decreased sense of professional fulfillment, has become common among healthcare professionals. Thus a study was carried on to measure the extent of burnout syndrome in hospitals and ICUs. The study consisted of a longitudinal survey along with a cross-sectional survey. The 481 participants in the cross-sectional survey were critical care professionals, critical care nurses, advanced practice providers, physicians, and pharmacists. Moreover, the 15 who participated in the longitudinal survey were medical critical care physicians.
Out of those participants, it was shown that burnout syndrome was most severe among intensive care nurses (33%) and ICU physicians (46%). Burnout in those healthcare providers was associated with anxiety and dissatisfaction among patients as well. However, we still lack information on burnout levels among critical care clinicians besides nurses and physicians.
As a result of the cross-sectional survey, burnout was shown in half of ICU clinicians (50%), varying from critical care physicians (42%) to advanced practice providers (55%). Also, professional fulfillment was low at a percentage of 37% among all. The high job demand and the workload were associated with burnout, while the community’s values, flexibility, social support, meaning in work, and cooperation were factors of well-being. In the longitudinal survey, medical critical care physicians represented 35 in burnout syndrome and 58 in professional fulfillment, which is between July 2019 and the month of March 2020. On the contrary, during the pandemic of 2019, they showed 57% in burnout syndrome and 38% in professional fulfillment.
In conclusion, to better understand how to implement well-being factors at the level of individuals, hospitals, and ICUs, a survey had to be done to measure burnout and professional fulfillment before and after instigating interventions. Moreover, further longitudinal surveys are needed on critical care personnel’s well-being for better interventions.
