Stress and psychological resilience among general surgery residents during COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

Objectives: To evaluate the impact of coronavirus-19 (COVID-19) pandemic and its consequences on general surgery residents. Methods: Cross-sectional, survey based study including surgical residents in Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Kingdom of Bahrain. Results: Surgical trainees who participated in our survey (n=234) were young (mean age 28), single (53.8%), and males (65.8%). Approximately half (50.4%) have been deployed to cover the staff shortage in intensive care units (ICUs) or emergency departments (EDs). Half of our trainees (117) scored positive in the screening tool of generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). There was a significant association between experiencing anxiety and male gender ( p =0.055), level of training ( p =0.002), deployment to cover ICUs ( p =0.050), testing positive for COVID-19 ( p =0.054) and having an infected family member ( p =0.004). Conclusion: Coronavirus-19 pandemic has a serious effect on all healthcare workers and surgical residents have experienced a considerable amount of stress. Accordingly, this psychological burden should be appropriately addressed in organizations planning strategies. We suggest formulating guidelines to help surgical trainees to continue their learning process with least psychological burden.

Exploring and managing psychiatric symptoms in ICU healthcare professionals during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic: a focused review and guideline

“…The Southwest Respiratory and Critical Care Chronicles 2021;9(41): [28][29][30][31][32][33][34] but were not limited to physicians, nurses, nursing assistants, residents, physician assistants, and nurse practitioners, and medical technicians. Three studies focused solely on physicians, seven solely on nursing staff, and three solely on residents.…”

“…32 Consequently, one Saudi Arabian study revealed over 80% of reassigned surgical residents reported making difficult decisions about resource allocation among sick patients, and felt their inexperience in the ICU put their patients and colleagues in possible harm's way. 33 burnout Studies suggested prevalence of burnout symptoms in ICU HCPs ranged from 36% to 58%. 11,23,30 As outlined by Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) General use or Human Services workers version, 37% to 57% of HCPs from various frontline wards felt emotionally exhausted, 25% felt depersonalized towards the needs of others, and 40% felt cynicism about their line of work.…”

“…10 Personal gratification was a significant protective factor against burnout, while identifying with the female gender was significantly associated with increased severity of emotional exhaustion. 25 The Southwest Respiratory and Critical Care Chronicles 2021;9(41): [28][29][30][31][32][33][34]…”

“…The Southwest Respiratory and Critical Care Chronicles 2021;9(41): [28][29][30][31][32][33][34] reassigned ICU HCPs to maximize their confidence and ensure optimal patient care and safety. 24,30,33 Another consideration highlighted by the pandemic was the influence of protective factor against psychiatric morbidities and general need for further exploration of protective factors, such as positive psychological traits or lifestyle modifiers. Last, the literature has revealed a serious concern for suicide risk in ICU HCPs during these extraordinary times.…”

COVID-19 Pandemic and the Residents’ Side of the Story: A Cross-sectional Survey Study

“…In this regard, question number 22 "being anxious about an inadequacy of protective equipment in work " and question number 23 "Increased stress and anxiety between colleagues" con rm this conclusion, since a signi cant difference was observed in the percentage of (Yes) answers in both questions (90% vs 75%, p = 0.001 and 88% vs 76%, p = 0.012, respectively). Aljehani et al reported a 50% rate of positive scores among general surgery residents in the screening tool of generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) during the current pandemic (17). Considering these alarming high percentages of stress and anxiety among residents speci cally and healthcare workers generally, increased institutional efforts should be invested in approaching this burden to avoid further exacerbation of this issue.…”