Burnout, COVID-19, social support and food insecurity in health workers

Abstract

Abstract Objective To evaluate the prevalence of risk for Burnout Syndrome among health professionals in areas of care for patients with COVID-19, as well as to verify possible associations of the syndrome with the perceived social support and food insecurity of these workers. Methods: Analytical cross-sectional study, with workers from intensive care units (ICU) and wards caring for patients with COVID-19, in a university hospital. Data collection was carried out from September to October 2021, using the instruments: Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI-HSS), Multidimensional Perceived Social Support Scale and Food Insecurity Experience Scale (FIES). Statistical analysis used Poisson regression models and multiple Poisson regression, considering statistically significant differences and associations if p<0.05. Results: A total of 75 workers from three wards (48%) and from one ICU (52%) participated in the survey, and the professionals are mostly female (89.3%), trained as health care technicians (66.7%). Regarding the risk of Burnout Syndrome, 26.7% of the workers had scores for at least one dimension of the scale, mainly referring to high emotional exhaustion (20%). There was a positive association between the risk of developing Burnout Syndrome and food insecurity (PR = 1.11; 95%CI = (1.04; 1.18); p = 0.002). The number of children was significantly negatively associated with the incidence of Burnout Syndrome (PR = 0.90; 95%CI = (0.83; 0.97); p = 0.008). Conclusion: Positive associations were observed with a higher risk of BS in professionals with food insecurity and also that the number of children acts as a protective factor against the risk of Burnout Syndrome, which may be directly related to perceived social support.