BackgroundThe COVID-19 pandemic represents the greatest biopsychosocial emergency the world has faced for a century. The pandemic has changed how individuals live and work, and in particular, frontline healthcare professionals have been exposed to alarming levels of stress.ObjectiveThe aim of this study was to understand the professional and personal effects of COVID-19 pandemic on surgeons working in the UK National Health Service (NHS).SettingSurgical departments in the NHS.DesignBetween May and July 2020, as part of an ongoing study, we asked surgeons two open-ended questions: ‘What challenges are the COVID-19 crisis currently presenting to you in your work and home life?’ and ‘How is this stress affecting you personally?’ Thematic analysis was used for the qualitative data. Responses to the second question were also categorised into four groups reflecting valence: positive, neutral, mildly negative and strongly negative.ResultsA total of 141 surgeons responded to the survey and the results indicated that 85.8% reported that they were generally negatively affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, of which 7.8% were strongly affected in a negative way. Qualitative thematic analysis identified four key themes from responses relating to the impact of the pandemic: (1) changing and challenging work environment as a result of COVID-19; (2) challenges to professional life and development; (3) management of change and loss in the respondents’ personal lives; (4) emotional and psychological impacts.ConclusionThe results highlighted the substantial emotional and psychological effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on surgeons’ mental health, particularly in relation to fear and anxiety, loss of motivation, low mood, stress and burnout. There is an urgent need for workplace support and mental health interventions to help surgeons cope with the difficulties they face during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

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Surgical disciplines are popular and training places are competitive to obtain, but trainees report higher levels of burnout than either their non-surgical peers or attending or consultant surgeons. In this review, we critically summarise evidence on trends and changes in burnout over the past decade, contributors to surgical trainee burnout, the personal and professional consequences of burnout and consider the evidence for interventions. There is no evidence for a linear increase in burnout levels in surgeons over the past decade but the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has yet to be established and is likely to be significant. Working long hours and experiencing stressful interpersonal interactions at work are associated with higher burnout in trainees but feeling more supported by training programmes and receiving workplace supervision are associated with reduced burnout. Burnout is associated with poorer overall mental and physical well-being in surgical trainees and has also been linked with the delivery of less safe patient care in this group. Useful interventions could include mentorship and improving work conditions, but there is a need for more and higher quality studies.

BackgroundUrology trainees experience high burnout, and there is an urgent need for acceptable and effective interventions. The current study evaluated Reboot coaching workshops (Reboot‐C), a tailored intervention based on cognitive–behavioural principles, with urology trainees.ObjectiveOur primary objective was to evaluate the acceptability of Reboot‐C among urology trainees. In addition, this study aimed to investigate whether there were changes in confidence, resilience, depression and burnout levels.Materials and methodA single‐arm design was used, including pre‐ and post‐online questionnaires and semi‐structured interviews.ResultTwenty‐one urology trainees replied to the survey, attended both Reboot‐C workshops and responded to the post‐intervention questionnaire. Thirteen of 21 (61%) urology trainees participated in the interview. Participating in Reboot‐C was associated with significant improvements in resilience and confidence and a significant reduction in burnout. However, there was no significant reduction in depression. Qualitative data indicated that Reboot was acceptable and helped participants develop useful skills.ConclusionThese findings pave the way for more conclusive studies on the efficacy of Reboot‐C for surgeons.