Burnout in Healthcare Workers After the COVID-19 Crisis: Causes, Effects, and Solutions

This article was exclusively written for The European Sting by Ms. Mary AlMadani, a 5th-year medical student at Mutah University, Jordan. She is affiliated to the International Federation of Medical Students Associations (IFMSA), cordial partner of The Sting. The opinions expressed in this piece belong strictly to the writers and do not necessarily reflect IFMSA’s view on the topic, nor The European Sting’s one.

Burnout is a common problem in healthcare, but the pandemic has made it much worse. Healthcare workers are experiencing burnout, anxiety, depression, and other mental health problems at alarming rates  . This is a serious problem for both healthcare workers and patients. Healthcare organizations need to recognize the issue and take steps to support their workers, while healthcare workers need to take care of themselves and seek help if needed.

Burnout is a psychological condition experienced by workers as a result of work-related physical and mental stress, which can induce emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and a sense of reduced personal accomplishment. Its prevalence varies between specialties, with burnout rates generally higher in medical specialties dealing with life-threatening situations and shift overload  .

Healthcare workers involved in the management of COVID-19 are more exposed to overwhelming pressure, which has resulted in high levels of burnout. The pandemic has also put an unprecedented strain on healthcare systems, and frontline healthcare workers have been redeployed to unfamiliar clinical environments, with extensive responsibilities and a constant risk of complaints for negligence  .

A recent survey of 1,595 healthcare workers in 34 hospitals across Italy found that 49.3% of respondents reported symptoms of burnout, 43.3% anxiety, and 26.6% depression  . The survey included five validated scales to assess self-reported burnout (Maslach Summative Burnout Scale), anxiety (GAD-7), depression (PHQ-2), resilience, and quality of life.

These findings highlight the urgent need for healthcare organizations to recognize the severity of burnout and provide support to their workers. This can include providing mental health services, promoting work-life balance, and implementing policies to reduce workload and shift overload  .

Healthcare workers also need to take care of themselves and seek help if needed. This can include practicing self-care, seeking counseling or therapy, and taking time off when necessary. Better communication and collaboration between healthcare workers and their organizations is also important  .

By working together, we can ensure that healthcare workers are able to provide the best possible care to their patients while protecting their own mental health and wellbeing. However, more research is needed to fully understand the causes and effects of burnout in healthcare workers and to develop effective interventions to prevent and treat it .

In conclusion, burnout is a serious problem in healthcare, and the COVID-19 pandemic has only made it worse. Healthcare organizations need to recognize the issue and take steps to support their workers, while healthcare workers need to take care of themselves and seek help if needed. By working together, we can ensure that healthcare workers are able to provide the best possible care to their patients while protecting their own mental health and wellbeing.

References:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7455131/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7755429/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7436313/

About the author

This article was exclusively written for The European Sting by Ms. Mary AlMadani, a 5th-year medical student at Mutah University, Jordan. Currently, she is a delegate at IFMSA-JO. She has been an active member in the federation since 2018 and participated in many regional, national and international workshops. Her message is that change is the key to achieve progress in our lives.