Burnout of Healthcare Workers in Acute Care Geriatric Facilities During the COVID-19 Crisis: An Online-Based Study

Abstract

Background/Objective: The COVID-19 crisis has been increasing the burden of healthcare workers in acute care geriatric facilities. These workers have been dealing with drastic changes in the care they provide to their residents including cancelation of group activities and communal dining and even restrictions of activities outside rooms. Healthcare workers have also been devoting more time and energy to perform COVID-related medical duties. Geriatric facilities have been facing shortages in equipment and supplies, as well as staffing shortages. Finally, healthcare workers have been facing challenges regarding their personal safety and that of their families. Consequently, we hypothesized the presence of high levels of burnout among healthcare workers during the COVID-19 crisis. Methods: To evaluate burnout in healthcare workers in French acute care geriatric facilities, we used an online survey based on the Oldenburg Burnout Inventory. Eighty-four healthcare workers answered the survey, during April of 2020. Results: Analysis demonstrated that they were experiencing medium levels of burnout, exhaustion, and disengagement. Conclusion: This level of burnout reflected their fatigue, loss of energy, and/or feelings of being overextended and exhausted. Considering the expected cumulative impact of various stressors, the medium level of burnout observed has come as a surprise to us and might actually be considered as relatively good news. Nevertheless, no level of burnout is negligible and has wide ranging negative consequences.

SARS/MERS/SARS-CoV-2 Outbreaks and Burnout Syndrome among Healthcare Workers. An Umbrella Systematic Review

“…However, some studies have found a reduction in BOS during the COVID-19 outbreak: for example, in US neurosurgeons [56], and in Chinese frontline nurses, compared with ordinary ward workers [57]. A relatively low level of burnout was also observed in healthcare workers in French geriatric facilities providing acute care [58]. There was no association between burnout and exposure to the consequences of COVID-19 among French paediatric residents [59].…”

Prolonged Stress Causes Depression in Frontline Workers Facing the COVID-19 Pandemic—A Repeated Cross-Sectional Study in a COVID-19 Hub-Hospital in Central Italy

“…Burnout, however, is a morbid condition that occurs after exposure to chronic stress and is therefore not the first indicator of mental health that can be altered by an epidemic [ 16 ]. There are conflicting findings on the epidemiology of burnout among HCWs working in COVID-19 wards: some studies have found a reduction in burnout rates, for example in US neurosurgeons [ 17 ], in French geriatric facilities [ 18 ], and in Chinese frontline nurses, compared with ordinary ward workers [ 19 ]. The mental health of HCWs can vary according to many factors and is hardly homogeneous for all groups of workers, even in the same company or department.…”

Factors Associated With Burnout, Post-traumatic Stress and Anxio-Depressive Symptoms in Healthcare Workers 3 Months Into the COVID-19 Pandemic: An Observational Study

“…Knowledge of the psychological impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on health professionals, mostly physicians and nurses, is rapidly emerging (7,8). A few studies have directly addressed burnout symptoms (9)(10)(11)(12)(13)(14)(15)(16)(17)(18)(19)(20)(21)(22)(23)(24)(25), including a recent meta-analysis that reported a pooled prevalence of 37.4% among healthcare workers (26).…”