Burnout among Health Care Workers during COVID-19: An Applied Study at King Abdulaziz Hospital in Al Ahsa

Abstract

The objective of this study was to measure burnout prevalence among health care workers at KAH during the COVID-19 pandemic. The method applied in this study was a descriptive quantitative approach. We collected the data via self-assisted online survey utilizing the Copenhagen Burnout Inventory (CBI), a reliable instrument to measure burnout by investigating its three subdomains: personal, work-related and client-related. The results came out from this study were that: 244 HCWs completed the questionnaire. The mean of total burnout, personal burnout, work-related burnout, and client-related burnout score was 55.89 (SD 19.8), 64.8 (SD 22.16), 57.6 (SD 21.05) and 45.18 (SD 24.54), respectively. Factors that contributed to the increased levels of burnout included: younger age, female gender, the nursing profession, fewer years of experience, extended working hours per shift, fewer off days per month, fewer hours of sleep per night, increased workload, prolonged contact with COVID-19 cases, frequent change in regular job duties and the higher perceived psychological impact of the pandemic. The study concluded that healthcare workers at KAH experienced high rates of personal burnout and work-related burnout during the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, institutional intervention to address burnout was deemed necessary.