Professional Burnout, Symptoms of Emotional Disorders and Distress among Healthcare Professionals during the COVID-19 Epidemic

Abstract

<jats:p>The article presents the results of a synthesis by Australian and Canadian scientists (Kisely et al, 2020) of 59 reliable studies of the effects of work during various epidemics, including COVID-19, on mental health and well-being of medical workers in different countries. The research includes the level of professional burnout, symptoms of emotional ill-being, and distress data based on the analysis of a data sample from 248 involved healthcare professionals of Russian medical institutions. They anonymously and voluntarily filled up the Google-form that contained a methodical complex during the COVID-19 epidemic. The complex included: A. Beck Depression Scale, A. Beck Anxiety Scale, J. Goland Distress Rating Scale, K. Maslach Professional Burnout Inventory. The research showed that during the epidemic, most healthcare professionals experienced evidence of the professional burnout (60% complain of emotional exhaustion), moderate and severe indicators of depression (23%), all healthcare professionals had severe anxiety indicators (100%). Also, a suicidal trend was found (10%). Negative emotions (fear of infection, loneliness and isolation sense), organizational problems (personal protective equipment deficit), physical discomfort (inconvenience of protective clothing, lack of sleep), and communicative difficulties have a great influence on the emotional distress of healthcare professionals. Information “noise” and personal protective equipment deficit often performs as a problem area. Healthcare professionals involved in supporting COVID-19 patients have higher rates of professional burnout, depression, and anxiety. At the same time, high professional responsibility and motivation are maintained by the majority of specialists providing care to patients with COVID-19. Region healthcare professionals differ from Moscow healthcare professionals by higher rates of depression and anxiety and frequently complain about personal protective equipment deficit, leadership mistrust, or disagreement with them.</jats:p>

Stress, Anxiety, Depression and Burnout in Frontline Healthcare Workers during COVID-19 Pandemic in Russia

“…We also collected information on age, gender, occupation and the duration of work with patients diagnosed with COVID-19. The total score of anxiety using GAD-7 was interpreted as: normal (0-4), mild (5)(6)(7)(8)(9), moderate (10)(11)(12)(13)(14), and severe (15)(16)(17)(18)(19)(20)(21) anxiety [23]. The cut-off score for the Russian version of SAVE-9 was taken as 18 [24].…”

“…We also measured symptoms of depression using Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) [25]. The total score of depression was interpreted as: minimal (0-4), mild (5-9), moderate (10)(11)(12)(13)(14), moderately severe (15)(16)(17)(18)(19), severe (10)(11)(12)(13)(14)(15)(16)(17)(18)(19)(20)(21)(22)(23)(24)(25)(26)(27) [25]. We used single items measures of emotional burnout and depersonalization derived from Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) scale to assess burnout [26].…”

“…Moreover, today, there are only a few studies that compare HCW's mental health between the first and second waves of COVID-19 [16,17], however there is evidence that longer duration of frontline work correlates with higher levels of stress [18]. Moreover, only a few studies assessed the state of mental health in HCWs in Russia [19,20], where the HCWs mortality is among the highest in the world [21].…”

Bioefficacy of Geomagnetic Activity in the Period of the COVID-19 Pandemic

“…Russian scientists also studied the psychoemotional characteristics of healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. It was shown that, at this time, a significant portion of healthcare workers experience severe symptoms of professional burnout and depression and have an increased level of anxiety and suicidal tendencies (Petrikov et al, 2020).…”

On revealing risk groups regarding emotional burn-out syndrome among medical workers during the covid-19 pandemic

“…Ограниченные ресурсы, продолжительные рабочие смены, нарушения сна и баланса между работой и личной жизнью, а также профессиональные риски, связанные с постоянным контактом с пациентами с COVID-19, способствовали дестабилизации психоэмоционального состояния у персонала МО. Среди факторов риска нарушений психического здоровья медицинских работников наиболее значимыми разные авторы считали: экстремальный характер ситуации, существенные изменения в профессиональной деятельности и образе жизни в целом [15], специфику течения COVID-19 (быстрое прогрессирование инфекции, тяжелые осложнения, недостаточные знания о новом заболевании) [16], высокую нагрузку на работе, снижение продолжительности и качества сна [17], возможность заразиться при оказании помощи пациентам [18], риск заразить членов своей семьи, близких [19], опасения, касающиеся недостаточного обеспечения средствами индивидуальной защиты (СИЗ) и расходными материалами [20], физический дискомфорт, связанный с необходимостью постоянного использования СИЗ [21], изолированность и чувство неопределенности ситуации [16,22].…”