Mental Health and Burnout Syndrome Among Postgraduate Students in Medical and Multidisciplinary Residencies During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Brazil: Protocol for a Prospective Cohort Study.

Rebeca Da Nóbrega Lucena Pinho,Juliana De Brito Seixas Neves,Maria Nogueira Dantas,Ciro Martins Gomes,Nayane Miranda Silva,Ivan Ranulfo,Isadora Jochims,Yasmin Furtado Faro,Mayra Soares,André De Mattos Salles,Caroline Elizabeth Brero Valero,Cézar Kozak Simaan ,Licia Maria Henrique Da Mota ,Ana Paula Monteiro Gomides ,Dayde Lane Mendonça-Silva ,Viviane Cristina Uliana Peterle ,Andréa Pedrosa Ribeiro Alves Oliveira ,Cleandro Pires De Albuquerque ,Adriana Ferreira Barros-Areal ,Patrícia Shu Kurizky ,Lucas Alves De Brito Oliveira ,Carlos Henrique Reis Esselin Rassi ,Marta Alves Rosal ,Thaís Ferreira Costa ,Fernando Araújo Rodrigues De Oliveira ,Verônica Moreira Amado

doi:10.2196/24298

Abstract

BackgroundThe COVID-19 pandemic has led to high levels of physical, psychological, and social stress among health care professionals, including postgraduate students in medical and multidisciplinary residencies. This stress is associated with the intense fear of occupational exposure to SARS-CoV-2, the virus known to cause COVID-19. These professionals are at risk of developing physical and mental illnesses not only due to the infection but also due to prolonged exposure to multidimensional stress and continued work overload.ObjectiveThis study aims to evaluate the prevalence of symptoms suggestive of mental disorders and burnout syndrome and determine the risk factors for burnout among postgraduate students in medical and multidisciplinary residencies in Brazil during the COVID-19 pandemic.MethodsFor this prospective cohort study with parallel groups, participants were recruited between July and September 2020 to achieve a sample size of at least 1144 participants. Research instruments such as Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale; Patient Health Questionnaire; Brief Resilient Coping Scale; and Oldenburg Burnout Inventory will be used to collect data. Data will be collected in 2 waves: the first wave will include data related to sample characterization and psychosocial evaluation, and the second wave will be launched 12 weeks later and will include an evaluation of the incidence of burnout as well as correlations with the potential predictive factors collected in the first wave. Additionally, we will collect data regarding participants’ withdrawal from work.ResultsThe recruitment took place from July 29 to September 5, 2020. Data analyses for this phase is already in progress. The second phase of the study is also in progress. The final data collection began on December 1, 2020, and it will be completed by December 31, 2020.ConclusionsWe believe the findings of this study will help evaluate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health conditions of health professionals in Brazil as well as contribute to the planning and implementation of appropriate measures that can alleviate these mental health challenges.International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID)DERR1-10.2196/24298

Highlights

The first COVID-19 outbreak occurred in Wuhan, China, at the end of 2019, and it rapidly spread across the world
Most of these professionals are likely to develop psychological distress and other mental health–related symptoms, which may be attributed to the lack of security in the face of the unprecedented scenario, increase in the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases, work overload, shortage of diagnostic tests and personal protective equipment (PPE), and the lack of specific drugs for treatment, among other factors [3]
A high prevalence of mental health conditions has been reported among the professionals, with a wide spectrum of manifestations correlated to the intense emotional demands and adverse working conditions experienced by them

Summary

Introduction

The first COVID-19 outbreak occurred in Wuhan, China, at the end of 2019, and it rapidly spread across the world. On January 30, 2020, the World Health Organization declared that the outbreak constituted a public health emergency of international importance and characterized COVID-19 as a pandemic on March 11, 2020 [1] During this pandemic, health care professionals, including postgraduate students in medical residency and multidisciplinary programs, have been directly involved in disease management, and they are exposed to an increased risk of infection due to direct contact with infected patients [2]. The COVID-19 pandemic has led to high levels of physical, psychological, and social stress among health care professionals, including postgraduate students in medical and multidisciplinary residencies This stress is associated with the intense fear of occupational exposure to SARS-CoV-2, the virus known to cause COVID-19. These professionals are at risk of developing physical and mental illnesses due to the infection and due to prolonged exposure to multidimensional stress and continued work overload

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Discussion

Conclusion