Article
Burnout levels and associated factors among Intensive care unit workers during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in Chile: a cross-sectional study
Niveles de Burnout y factores asociados en trabajadores de la unidad de cuidados intensivos en la primera ola de la pandemia COVID-19 en Chile: estudio transversal
Autor
Ponce-Fuentes, Felipe
Collipal-Cayún, Jenny
Sepúlveda-Cisternas, Jaime
Cuyul-Vásquez, Iván
Zamuner, Roberto A.
Fuentes-Contreras, Jorge
Institución
Resumen
Introduction
The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in an unpredictable healthcare crisis with a high psychological burden on healthcare workers.
Objective
To evaluate burnout levels and their associated demographics and occupational factors among
intensive care unit healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in a single hospital in the
city of Temuco, Chile.
Methods
A cross-sectional design in which a sociodemographic questionnaire and the Maslach
Burnout Inventory for Human Services were sent to health care workers in a single Chilean
Intensive Care Unit during the pandemic COVID-19. Burnout levels, demographic, and
occupational factors are reported using descriptive statistics; correlations between burnout
levels and demographic-occupational factors were analyzed using Spearman’s and rankbiserial correlation coefficients; and multiple linear stepwise regression was used to assess the contribution of demographic and occupational factors to participants’ burnout levels.
Results
A total of 84 participants (46 women and 38 men) were included in the analysis.
Depersonalization and low personal accomplishment were evidenced in 95.2% and 98.8%
of the intensive care unit healthcare workers, respectively. Emotional exhaustion was positively correlated with having children (r = 0.72; p < 0.01). Age (r = 0.79; p < 0.05), sex (r = 0.30; p < 0.05), and prior experience in intensive care unit facilities (r = 0.71; p < 0.05) were correlated with depersonalization. Feeling of personal accomplishment was positively correlated with with sex (r = 0.70; p < 0.05) and type of work shift (r = 0.29; p < 0.01).
Conclusions
The intensive care unit healthcare workers in this study reported high levels of depersonalization and low feelings of personal accomplishment during an advanced stage of the COVID-19 pandemic. Older age, being female, having children, having intensive care unit experience, and working at 4th shift were factors related to burnout dimensions.