Professional burnout among healthcare work - ers (development determinants and prevention strategies)

Introduction. The novel coronavirus pandemic has made adjustments to all areas of modern people’s lives. The number of COVID-19 cases has a significant impact on HCWs, increasing their susceptibility to burnout. In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, one of the highest levels of burnout syndrome is observed in HCWs. The additional challenges they faced multiplied the workload of healthcare professionals, as well as increased their susceptibility to stress. The purpose of the study was to conduct a comparative analysis of the severity of the phases of emotional burnout according to V. V. Boyko among healthcare workers and determine the role of occupational factors in the formation of burnout among healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Materials and methods. The study involved HCWs working in the «red zone» (n=201), HCWs from polyclinics (n=186), HCWs of multidisciplinary hospitals (n=195), and a control group (n=190). The following research methods were used: a questionnaire survey to assess the attitude of HCWs to the situation during the COVID-19 pandemic; the questionnaire by V. V. Boyko «Diagnostics of Emotional Burnout Level,» which is a questionnaire of 84 questions. Results. A high level of emotional burnout has been revealed in the general sample of healthcare workers compared with the control group. The most pronounced phases of emotional burnout, such as tension, resistance, and exhaustion, are found in HCWs working in the «red zone» compared with HCWs in multidisciplinary hospitals and those in polyclinics. The occupational factors involved in the formation of emotional burnout among healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic include: high workload, imposed restrictive measures, fear of disease, lack and shortage of PPE, threat and risk of contracting the novel coronavirus infection, long period of isolation, financial instability, insufficient (at the first stage) accumulated knowledge about the new little-studied disease,feeling of discrimination and/or stigmatization. Compliance with ethical standards. The study was conducted in compliance with all ethical principles.