Burnout syndrome and anxiety among healthcare workers during global pandemics: An umbrella review

Abstract

BACKGROUND Burnout syndrome and anxiety are two mental health symptoms experienced by healthcare workers (HCWs) that can be exacerbated during pandemics due to increased job demands and the global health workforce crisis. AIM To provide a comprehensive review and summary of evidence on burnout and anxiety in HCWs during previous global pandemics. METHODS A systematic search on electronic databases such as PubMed Central and MEDLINE was conducted to identify high-quality systematic review studies that reported on the prevalence of burnout and/or anxiety in HCWs during any previous global pandemic. RESULTS Twenty-four high quality systematic review articles were found to be suitable for inclusion. Twenty articles focused merely on Coronavirus disease 2019, while four articles examined multiple pandemics. Burnout was examined in nine articles, while anxiety was examined in the remaining 21 articles. Female HCWs and nurses were identified to be at a higher risk of developing burnout and anxiety during pandemic. We also observed a variation in the prevalence of burnouts and anxiety across different studies due to different mental health instruments were used in different studies. CONCLUSION Nurses and females HCWs had a high prevalence of burnout syndrome and anxiety during pandemic. More emphasis and attention should be paid to safeguarding the psychological well-being of these at-risk populations in the future pandemics.