Family, partnership, life satisfaction and well-being, emotional burnout and depression of employees of anesthesiology and intensive care departments: a multicenter anonymous observational trial

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: Currently, emotional burnout and its predictors are insufficiently studied among the staff of the departments of anesthesiology and intensive care. At the same time, burnout is associated with a decrease in the quality of medical care, patient safety, as well as the quality of life of the doctors themselves. An anonymous study was conducted in hospitals and clinics in Russia. OBJECTIVE: To assess the level of life satisfaction, well-being, emotional burnout and depression of the staff of the departments of anesthesiology — intensive care. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Maslach Burnout Inventory, Projective psychological technique “unfinished sentences” (based on Sacks sentence completion test) — tested by G.G. Rumyantsev, Beck Hopelessness Inventory, Beck Depression Inventory, Satisfaction with Life Scale (E. Diener, R.A. Emmons, R.J. Larsen, S. Griffin). Brief Inventory of Thriving (BIT) (R. Su, L. Tay, E. Diener). RESULTS: The average level of life satisfaction of anesthesiologists was 14.7 points, which corresponds to the level of dissatisfaction, resuscitators and nurses had 19 points and 17.7 points, respectively — below the average level. Average and high levels of burnout in all three subscales had: 32.77 % of anesthesiologists, 52.26 % of resuscitators, 33.7 % of nurses. Depression symptoms varying degrees was detected in 83.62 % of anesthesiologists, 80 % of resuscitators and 51.7 % of nurses. CONCLUSIONS: It is necessary today not only to identify the first symptoms of burnout, but also to assess the level of satisfaction with the life and work of doctors, because they can directly affect the quality of medical care provided. It is probably that the even greater interest in the problem of doctor’s burnout and greater number of publications about this problem will become the element that encourages medical workers to seek psychological help.