THE BURNOUT LEVEL AMONG HEALTH INSPECTORS - A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS BEFORE AND DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC IN BULGARIA

Abstract

The coronavirus pandemic has put unprecedented pressure on the healthcare system of Bulgaria, especially in the context of the shortage of professionals such as public health inspectors. As a result, additional obligations were added to their routines which increased their workload and put them at risk of developing burnout. Purpose: To study the level of burnout among public health inspectors before and during the COVID-19 pandemic and to make a comparative analysis of the results in view of the inspectors’ increased workload in the time of the pandemic. Materials and methods: Three studies of public health inspectors from the system of the Regional Health Inspectorate were conducted: two burnout studies using the Maslach Burnout Inventory in 2019 and 2021 (respectively of 62 and 61 persons) and a questionnaire survey of 116 subjects in 2020-2021 on the workload level. Results: During the pandemic, a considerable increase in the values of the three questionnaire aspects was observed. The highest level of emotional exhaustion was reported in the 31-44 age group with work experience of 11-20 years (88%), whereas the highest level of depersonalization and the lowest of personal accomplishment were identified in the over 55 age group (50% and 92%). In 2019 around 38.7 % of health inspectors were at a high risk of burnout, while in 2021, the number increased to 73.7%. Conclusions: During the pandemic, the share of health inspectors at risk of burnout has significantly increased. Therefore, early intervention and prevention of the syndrome are needed.