BURNOUT SYNDROME: AN ANALYSIS OF DOCTORS AT THE FRONT LINE OF COVID-19 IN SERGIPE (Atena Editora)

Abstract

Data from the teams of doctors on the front lines of treating COVID-19 cases show physical and mental exhaustion. In Sergipe, doctors experience the different types of burden in dealing with the pandemic. This note alerts to the Burnout Syndrome (SB) in the state. Objective: The current research estimates the impacts on elucidative aspects of BS in the group of medical professionals that fight the pandemic in Sergipe. Methodology: It is a descriptive, quantitative and cross-sectional study. A sample of 86 doctors working in the public and private services of Sergipe on the COVID-19 front line was used. For data collection, a self-administered online questionnaire was used, through the Maslach Burnout Inventory General Survey. All questions are composed of a Likert scale that were scored by the Maslach Burnout Inventory. The presence of a high level in at least one of the three dimensions evaluated was used as a definition of SB. Categorical variables were described using absolute and percentage relative frequency. The hypothesis of independence between categorical variables was tested using Pearson's Chi-Square or Fisher's Exact tests. Results: 59.8% of respondents had positive symptoms for the syndrome, with a predominance of high emotional exhaustion (42.5%), low cynicism (71.3%) and low efficiency at work (58.6%). 61.3% aged 35 years or less, although both age groups were positive. 63.2% in men and 57.1% in women. 60.8% in singles and 55.9% in married people. 67.9% in doctors who are already fathers or mothers. 93.8% among those with 5-10 years of professional experience, being also positive in physicians with less than 5 years of experience (53.8%), but negative in those with more than 10 years of career (52.6 %). Finally, BS was positive in 68.2% of those who work in the public network and was not decisive for doctors who work in a private network. Conclusions: The survey results reveal levels of Burnout in a significant number of professionals: 59.8% of Sergipe physicians on the front lines fighting the pandemic showed positive symptoms for the syndrome. These findings lead us to believe that the mental illness of health workers in Sergipe, in the current health context, is more related to male gender, age equal to or less than 35 years, length of professional experience of less than 10 years and work in the public service of health. These findings point to a psychological illness among physicians in Sergipe more related to male, young, with recent professional experience and working in the public health service. The Ministry of Health (2001) indicates, as a treatment for BS, psychotherapeutic, pharmacological and psychosocial interventions, which can be divided into individual and organizational, which must be considered in these cases, especially within a new health situation brought about by the pandemic by SARS-CoV-2.