Psychoemotional health of medical workers during pandemic period

Abstract

Introduction. Health worker burnout was a crisis long before COVID-19 arrived. More than half of health workers report symptoms of burnout, and many are contending with insomnia, depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, or other mental health challenges. Overwhelming requirements, a high degree of work, and prolonged exposure to emotionally demanding circumstances in work and life settings can lead to burnout syndrome. Aim of study. The aim of study is to highlight burnout syndrome and its associated factors among medical workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods and materials. With this broad perspective in mind, to grasp the complexity of the problem, was analyzed a narrative review. A systematized review of literature was performed without date restrictions; it was conducted on Pubmed, Hinari, Google Academic. Results. During the COVID-19 pandemic, healthcare workers have reported increased stress, depression, anxiety, sleep disturbances, and post-traumatic stress disorder conditions that are also associated with burnout. The crisis didn’t start with COVID-19, but the last three years have exacerbated persistent mental unwellness and trauma among those workers. Due to permanent changes in the healthcare field, the conditions for mental tension and burnout change simultaneously with the reactivity to stress. Burnout results from job stress that accumulates over time and results in fatigue, cynicism, and a lost sense of control, contributing to disruptive behavior, lost workdays, and ultimately resignation or early retirement. The causes of burnout in the health professions are numerous, and the impact reverberates negatively throughout the organization and for their patients. The effects of burnout are not isolated to the workplace but often carry over into the health professional’s personal life, impacting both the family and self. Health professionals, including nurses, physician assistants, pharmacists, and physicians, are more susceptible to burnout than the general population due to moral stress, increased regulations and bureaucratic requirements, excessive hours and on-call responsibilities, and increased productivity requirements. Conclusion. The COVID-19 pandemic has worsened the mental health of healthcare workers. The combination of increased workload, decreased resources to care for patients and feeling unsupported by leadership has led to unprecedented dissatisfaction. Since the problem is multifaceted, physician burnout is a major threat to health care quality, patient outcomes, and the vitality of the medical workforce. Burnout represents a harmful condition that is plaguing modern medical institutions. Such occurrences represent a potential danger to the foundation of the medical professional, loss of possible revenue stream to the organization, and diminished patient care.