In reference to the announcement of the pandemic of the new coronavirus 2019-(nCoV), all educational institutions in the Republic of Kazakhstan have switched to online learning (OL). The purpose of this study was to investigate the mental state of the medical students switching to OL in comparison with the mental state of the students who had traditional learning (TL). A repeated questionnaire-based cross-sectional study was conducted among medical students ranging from 1st year to 5th year at Astana Medical University in the 2019-2020 academic year. The first study was conducted during the TL (October-November 2019, N = 619), and the second study was conducted during the OL period (April 2020, N = 798). Burnout syndrome, depression, anxiety, somatic symptoms, and satisfaction with academic performance have been studied. The findings revealed that prevalence of the burnout syndrome, depression, anxiety, and somatic symptoms decreased after transitioning from TL to OL. However, during the OL period, the prevalence of colleague-related burnout increased, which tells us about the negative impact of OL on students' communication and interpersonal relationships. The most common depression and anxiety symptoms, dissatisfaction with academic performance were among students who indicated a decrease in academic performance during OL. Students who lived alone during the quarantine were more prone to depression during OL. In conclusion, during the quarantine period after the transition from TL to OL, the mental health state of medical students improved, despite the severe conditions of the pandemic.

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Background. The Copenhagen Burnout Inventory (CBI) has demonstrated good psychometric properties among different populations, but there is no known data on its validity among Russian-speaking medical students. The CBI-Student Survey focuses only on fatigue, but measures exhaustion in four different life domains: Personal Burnout (PB), Studies-Related Burnout (SRB), Colleague-Related Burnout (CRB), and Teacher-Related Burnout (TRB). Objective. To investigate the psychometric properties of the Russian version of the Copenhagen Burnout Inventory–Student Survey (R-CBI-S). Design. A cross-sectional study was carried out among 771 medical students at Astana Medical University (Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan). Statistical analyses included test-retest reliability, internal consistency, item analysis, convergent and concurrent validity, and confirmatory factor analysis. Concurrent validity was evaluated by bivariate correlations of R-CBI-S with anxiety, depression, and satisfaction with the study. Results. Test-retest reliability showed an ICC of 0.81. All item-total correlations for the total scale were positive (range 0.31–0.76). The Cronbach’s alpha coefficient was 0.94 (0.896 for PB, 0.884 for SRB, 0.874 for CRB, and 0.926 for TRB). The Barlett’s sphericity test result was significant (p < 0.001), and the KMO measure of sampling adequacy exceeded 0.947. Convergent validity analysis results: PB (AVE = 0.52, CR = 0.87), SRB (AVE = 0.50, CR = 0.87), CRB (AVE = 0.51, CR = 0.86), TRB (AVE = 0.56, CR = 0.88). The R-CBI-S achieved good levels of goodness-of-fit indices (RMSEA = 0.0611; CFI = 0.940; TLI = 0.933). Conclusion. The test results indicated that the R-CBI-S scale appears to be a reliable and valid instrument. The R-CBI-S may be a useful tool in future research to identify burnout factors based on specific life domains for developing effective prevention measures among medical students.

Background Burnout is a serious problem in the training and professional development of medical students. However, there is no known data on the prevalence of burnout among medical students in Kazakhstan. This study aims at investigating burnout and associated factors in a sample of students from Astana Medical University. Methods The study included socio-demographic and personal questions, Oldenburg Burnout Inventory for college students (OLBI-S) and Copenhagen Burnout Inventory-Students survey (CBI-S) to measure burnout. Statistical analyses included measures of descriptive statistics and regression analysis for evaluating burnout-associated factors. Results In total, 736 medical students responded. The prevalence of burnout syndrome was 28% (CBI-S) and 31% (OLBI-S). There was a significant association between the prevalence and the level of burnout and student’s gender, year of study, thoughts of dropping out, suicidal ideation, satisfaction with the chosen profession and academic performance, interpersonal relationship problems, the decision to study in medical school, smoking, accommodation, parental expectations, alcohol use, extracurricular activities, part-time job, somatic symptoms, depression, and anxiety. Conclusions The factors associated with burnout were identified, which complements and expands the existing data on academic burnout. The data obtained can help in organizing psychological assistance for medical students in Kazakhstan.

Mapping of multiple atrial tachycardias after previous cryoballoon pulmonary vein isolations and multiple radiofrequency ablations can be challenging even for experienced specialists. HD Grid high‐density mapping catheter is one of the catheters, which helps not only to precisely identify the mechanisms of macro‐reentry tachycardia but also to avoid unnecessary radiofrequency applications. Accordingly, we present two cases of complex atrial arrhythmia with the use of HD Grid, which showed clear visualization of mechanisms and target ablations with the termination of tachycardia.

This study aims at investigating burnout and associated factors in a sample of medical students from Astana Medical University, using the Russian version of the Copenhagen Burnout Inventory - Student Survey (R-CBI-S). 771 medical students responded. The study included socio-demographic and personal questions and a tool to measure burnout. Statistical analyses included measures of descriptive statistics and logistic regression analysis for evaluating burnout. Overall, 28% of medical students reported burnout; R-CBI-S mean score was 40. There is no significant gender difference in burnout. On regression analysis, to be a 2nd-year student, compare to dormitory students live at home or rented a house, having suicidal ideation, having thoughts of dropping out, having interpersonal relationship problems with family or friends, smoking, using alcohol were independently associated with increased risk for burnout. Enrolling in a medical university by its own decision and having satisfaction with academic performance is associated with a decrease of developing burnout syndrome. In conclusion, factors associated with burnout were identified.

BackgroundThe coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has affected medical education and psychosomatic health of medical students. In this follow-up study, conducted 1 year after the transition to online learning (OL), we aimed to investigate changes in student mental health and identify factors associated with academic burnout and changes in medical education caused by the pandemic.Materials and methodsThis study compares the burnout rate and psychosomatic status (depression, anxiety, somatic symptoms) of medical students at Astana Medical University using an online questionnaire-based repeated cross-section design of the pre-pandemic period (September–November 2019), the initial period of the pandemic (April 2020), and the current study (March 9–30, 2021). In the pre-pandemic period, students studied only in a face-to-face format. Moreover, the current study (March, 2021) analyzed factors associated with academic burnout and changes in medical education caused by the pandemic. Statistical methods included mean comparison, frequency, and regression analysis.ResultsData from a representative sample of undergraduate students were analyzed (n = 975, 58% of them participated in the previous study). The burnout rate was found to be lower compared with the period of traditional education (pre-COVID-19) and did not significantly differ from the initial period of the introduction of online learning (the initial period of the COVID-19 pandemic). The levels and prevalence of depression and anxiety also showed similar patterns. The prevalence of somatic symptoms has increased compared to the initial period of the pandemic, although it has not reached the level obtained in the pre-COVID-19 period. The negative changes caused by OL in medical education and learning effectiveness have been associated with burnout. Factors associated with burnout, learning effectiveness, dissatisfaction with the quality of OL organization, and deterioration of medical education have been identified.ConclusionThe medical education and mental health of medical students has undoubtedly undergone changes in the transition to OL due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Factors such as changing the content of education, the organization of the educational process and support from the school, the nature of student-teacher, student-school and student-student relationships, the possibility of mastering various skills and financial problems caused by the pandemic, played a significant role in the academic life of students. The results obtained have potential applications in organizing and improving the quality of continuing medical education in an era of global healthcare crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic.

This study aims at investigating burnout and associated factors in a sample of medical students from Astana Medical University (AMU), using the Russian version of the Copenhagen Burnout Inventory - Student Survey (R-CBI-S), which was validated in the current study. 771 medical students responded. The study included socio-demographic and personal questions, and a tool to measure burnout. Statistical analyses included test-retest reliability, internal consistency, item analysis, confirmatory factor analysis for validation and measures of descriptive statistics, and logistic regression analysis for evaluating burnout. The R-CBI-S demonstrated good reliability and validity. The test-retest reliability showed an ICC of 0.81. Cronbach’s alpha coefficient was 0.94. R-CBI-S achieved good levels of goodness-of-fit indices (RMSEA = 0.0611; CFI = 0.940; TLI = 0.933). Overall, 28% of medical students reported burnout; R-CBI-S mean score was 40. There is no significant gender difference in burnout. On regression analysis, to be a 2nd year student, compare to dormitory students live at home or rented a house, having suicidal ideation, having thoughts of dropping out, having interpersonal relationship problems with family or friends, smoking, using alcohol were independently associated with increased risk for burnout. Enrolling in a medical university by its own decision and having satisfaction with academic performance associated with a decreasing of developing burnout syndrome. In conclusion, the test results indicated the R-CBI-S scale appears to be a reliable and valid instrument. Factors associated with burnout were identified.