The COVID-19 reset: lessons from the pandemic on Burnout and the Practice of Surgery

Abstract

Background Burnout among physicians is an increasing concern, and surgeons are not immune to this threat. The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has caused dramatic changes to surgeon workflow, often leading to redeployment to other clinical areas, slowdown and shutdown of elective surgery practices, and an uncertain future of surgical practice in the post-pandemic setting. Paradoxically, for many surgeons who had to prepare for but not immediately care for a major surge, the crisis did allow for reflective opportunities and a resetting of priorities that could serve to mitigate chronic patterns contributory to Burnout. Methods SAGES Reimagining the Practice of Surgery task force convened a webinar to discuss lessons learned from the COVID pandemic that may address burnout. Results Burnout is multifactorial and may vary in cause among different generation/experience groups. Those that report burnout symptoms often complain of lacking purpose or meaning in their work. Although many mechanisms to address Burnout are from a defensive standpoint-including coping mechanisms, problem solving, and identification of a physician having wellness difficulties-offensive mechanisms such as pursuing purpose and meaning and finding joy in one's work can serve as reset points that promote thriving and fulfillment. Understanding what motivates physicians will help physician leaders to develop and sustain effective teams. Reinvigorating the surgical workforce around themes of meaning and joy in the service rendered via our surgical skills may diminish Burnout through generative and aspirational strategies, as opposed to merely reactive ones. Fostering an educational environment free of discriminatory or demeaning behavior may produce a new workforce conducive to enhanced and resilient wellbeing at the start of careers. Conclusion Surgeon wellness and self-care must be considered an important factor in the future of all healthcare delivery systems, a need reaffirmed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Burnout syndrome among residents of different surgical specialties in a tertiary referral teaching hospital in Indonesia during COVID-19 pandemic

“…This greatly alters resident training program and may act as a potential source of burnout for residents. 2 , 3 , 5 , 13 , 15 Prior to the pandemic, burnout rates in residency varied greatly among studies, ranging from 18% to 82%. 16 Surgical residents are also prone to having higher rates of burnout.…”

“…There are various ways in achieving this, such as establishing relevant regulations and guidelines surrounding COVID-19 for residents, providing adequate protective personal equipment (PPE), training on PPE-donning and doffing procedures, creating safe and secure workplace environment to minimize risk of infection, promoting safe operating room practices, regulating effective and efficient working shifts, providing facilities for residents’ testing and treatment, establishing accessible COVID-19 response center for residents which also offers psychological support, actively monitoring the overall well-being of residents and encouraging them to not hesitate to utilize psychological services provided, organizing workshops regarding stress management and coping strategies, and conducting virtual teaching using various methods to compensate with reduced academic and surgical experience. 5 , 6 , 10 , 15 , 27 , 28 …”

Positive Organizational Practices, Life Satisfaction, and Psychological Capital in the Public and Private Sectors

“…The study was based on positive organizational scholarship and sustainable wellbeing approaches. The examination of positive organizational practices was based on a model developed by K. Cameron et al; the examination of life satisfaction was based on a model developed by E. Diener et al, and the examination of psychological capital was based on a model developed by F. Luthans et al The context of the COVID-19 pandemic, which brought remarkable changes to both the public and private sectors [1,4,[6][7][8][9][10][11]41,68,99,179,180], makes the findings of this study important for strategic management of organizations and their human resources. To sum up, the SEM and other analyses showed that positive organizational practices are linked to life satisfaction and psychological capital in both public and private sector employees' groups, but the features of links are distinctive in the public and private sectors.…”

Burnout among caregivers in the era of the COVID-19 pandemic: Insights and challenges

“…Hence, some surgeons may have identified facets of their professional life they wished to change. 16 Virtual ways to care, teach, perform administrative tasks, and assist each other Sustaining primary care during the pandemic has certainly been a challenge for all, Canadian urologists included. Virtual care has become an alternative to the traditional ways of caring for our patients, but staying in touch with them has not necessarily been easy.…”