Emotional exhaustion and depersonalization increased as the pandemic wore on in 2020<\/p>\n<\/h3>\n
<\/b><\/p>\n
<\/b><\/p>\n
WEDNESDAY, Oct. 5, 2022 (HealthDay News) — The COVID-19 pandemic is associated with higher burnout among health care professionals (HCPs), particularly patient-facing HCPs, according to a study published online Sept. 27 in BJPsych Open<\/em>.<\/p>\n Vikas Kapil, M.B.B.S., Ph.D., from the Queen Mary University of London, and colleagues longitudinally examined mental health in 1,574 HCPs versus 147 non-HCPs and patient-facing HCPs versus non-patient-facing HCPs. The analysis included survey responses from baseline (July to September 2020), phase 2 (six weeks after baseline), and phase 3 (four months after baseline).<\/p>\n The researchers found generally higher rates of various probable mental health issues among HCPs versus non-HCPs at each phase, but no differences were significant, except that HCPs had a 2.5-fold increased risk for burnout at phase 2. Burnout further increased at phase 3 (odds ratios for emotional exhaustion and depersonalization, 3.32 and 3.29, respectively). Compared with non-patient-facing HCPs, at baseline, patient-facing HCPs had a fivefold increased risk for depersonalization, with no significant difference seen in the risk for other outcomes. This difference in depersonalization declined over time, but patient-facing HCPs still had a 2.7-fold increased risk for emotional exhaustion by phase 3.<\/p>\n “We should all be worried about the disproportionately high rates of burnout in health care professionals, which may persist and lead to an even greater staffing and retention crisis,” a coauthor said in a statement.<\/p>\n