Burnout and health status differences among primary healthcare professionals in Portugal

Abstract

Background This paper is focused on two indicators which may be considered as proxies of individuals’ well-being: self-assessed health and burnout intensity. There is little research relating these concepts with the type of the primary healthcare setting, its urbanization density and the region. The aims of this work are threefold: (i) to find determinant factors of individual health status and burnout, (ii) to find possible differences across different types of health care units, differently urbanized areas, and different administrative regions, and (iii) to verify if there are differences in between GPs and nurses. Methods Data was gathered from an online questionnaire implemented on primary health care. A sample of 9,094 professionals from all 1,212 primary health care settings in Portugal mainland was obtained from an online questionnaire filled from January and April 2018. Statistical analyses include the estimation of two ordered probits, one explaining self-assessed health and the other the burnout. Results The individual drivers for good health and lower levels of burnout, that is, better well-being, are estimated for GPs and nurses. Main findings support that, first, nurses report worst health than GPs, but the latter tend to suffer higher levels of burnout, and also that, 'place' effects arising from the health unit settings and regional location are more significant in GPs than in nurses. However, urbanization density is not significantly associated with health or burnout. Conclusions A set of policy recommendations are suggested to improve the healthcare workforce well-being, such as improving job satisfaction and income. These policies should be taken at the health care unit level and at the regional administrative level.

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“…Im Rahmen der ersten COVID-19-Pandemiewelle (März–April 2020) wurde insbesondere in stark von der COVID-19-Pandemie betroffenen Ländern von einem großen Überforderungserleben von medizinischem Personal berichtet 1 2 3 . Vor allem die Angst vor eigener Ansteckung sowie die Angst vor Ansteckung naher Angehöriger wurden von medizinischem Personal als sehr belastend empfunden 4 5 .…”

Mindfulness-Based Interventions to Reduce Burnout in Primary Healthcare Professionals: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

“…Contrary to previous meta-analyses that included physicians of all specialties [4,41], other healthcare professionals [39], or mixed interventions [42], we circumscribed our analysis only to MBIs and PHCP. Therefore, these results are only applicable to PHCP, which allows making specific inferences about the effectiveness of MBIs on a sector highly vulnerable to burnout [8][9][10][11][12]. Another strength of our review is related to the methodological design.…”

“…Burnout is a three-dimensional syndrome characterized by high emotional exhaustion, high depersonalization, and a diminished sense of personal accomplishment [7]. This symptom is highly prevalent among primary healthcare professionals (PHCP) [8][9][10][11][12].…”

“…Healthcare 2021, 9, 1342 2 of 15 In primary healthcare units, physicians and nurses are among the professionals who report the highest levels of burnout [10]. According to empirical evidence, primary care physicians are among the specialists who report the highest rates of burnout [12,13], and at least half will experience symptoms of burnout at some point during their careers [4,9,14].…”

Workforce Engagement for Compassionate Advocacy, Resilience, and Empowerment (WE CARE)

“…9 Although no studies have been found that explicitly evaluated burnout differences between urban and rural nurses in the United States, rural nurses and physicians in Spain had higher burnout in Spain, 10 whereas in Portugal, researchers found no differences in burnout between urban and rural nurses. 11 To classify the demand for acute care RNs throughout the state, in 2019, chief nursing officers (CNOs) participated in a survey about their needs for RNs. 12 CNOs reported a high demand for and difficulty filling RN positions at their facilities.…”