Burnout in Medical Staffs During a Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) Pandemic

Background: In a pandemic outbreak of infectious disease, the mental and physical burdens of health care providers increase with time. Their burnout can lead to treatment errors, medical malpractice suits, patient mortality, and elevated suicidal ideation and substance abuse in medical staffs. In this study we investigated burnout, anxiety symptoms, acute stress disorder, and health literacy and promotion among health care providers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: A cross-sectional population survey using an online questionnaire commenced on 13 March 2020. The respondents were health care providers in Taiwan. Findings: Of the 1,795 respondents, 40.3% reported burnout, 15.8% had previous experience dealing with SARS or MERS, and 37.3% cared for strongly suspected COVID-19 patients. The mean total score on the STAI was 55.3±2.4. The numbers of respondents with mild, moderate, and severe levels of anxiety were 185 (10.3%), 209 (11.6%), and 1401 (78.1%) respectively. The mean CESD-10 score was 9.5±6.3, and 817 respondents (45.5%) were classified as depressive. The factors associated with burnout were working in the ACC (acute and critical care) division (adjusted odds ratio (aOR)=1.84, 95% CI=1.20–3.39, p=0.019), taking care of suspicious or confirmed COVID-19 cases (aOR=3.90, 95% CI=1.14–13.37, p=0.031), and depressive disorder (aOR=9.44, 95% CI=7.44–11.97, p<0.001). Interpretation: Physicians and nurses are vulnerable to burnout during a COVID-19 pandemic, especially those working in the ACC division. Depressive disorder, anxiety, caring patients with COVID-19, and engaging in precautionary prevention and health promotion may be factors in burnout among healthcare workers. Funding Statement: The study was partially subsidized by the National Taiwan Normal University (202003HS002). Declaration of Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest. Ethics Approval Statement: The study protocol was reviewed and approved by the Research Ethics Committee of the National Taiwan Normal University (no. 202003HS002).