A comparative study to assess burnout and its correlates among doctors and nurses working at dedicated COVID-19 facility of civil hospital, Ahmedabad, Gujarat

Abstract

Background: The high contagiousness of the COVID 19 disease, the uncertain course, and the high morbidity and mortality has led to unprecedented burden on the health care system, especially when the crisis has gone on for more than 5 months with no end in sight. The chronic high degree stress has made burnout in health care workers (HCWs) a reality that needs urgent attention which can otherwise lead to compromised patient care apart from their own suffering. Aims and Objectives: This study was planned to assess and compare the burnout in doctors and nurses of our dedicated COVID 19 hospital, to understand its correlates, and look for any implications on future policy decisions. Materials and Methods: Our study assessed and compared the burnout in 150 doctors and 150 nurses of our dedicated COVID 19 hospital using the Copenhagen Burnout Inventory (CBI). The CBI Scale is a 19 item scale including three domains of burnout in the form of personal (1–6), work related (7–13), and patient related burnout (14–19). More than 25% average score on these items is taken as the presence of burnout. Results: We found burnout in 58% of all HCWs with 78% in doctors (n = 150) and 38% in nurses (n = 150), the difference being statistically significant. Multiple linear regression analysis was performed to find common factors affecting burnout among both the groups, which were female gender, facing stigma due to COVID 19 duty, regular exercise/yoga, and dissatisfaction with administrative services. Our findings propose to emphasize the need to address the impact of working under pressure for sustained periods among HCWs.