Since 2019, the COVID-19 pandemic has wreaked havoc worldwide. As frontline warriors, healthcare providers (HCPs), namely physicians, nurses, and pharmacists, have played key roles in containing this global disaster and fighting to save lives. They’ve been instrumental in combating this illness while often suffering from COVID-19 themselves – since the beginning of the pandemic, more than 150,000 cases of COVID have been recorded in Canadian healthcare professionals.  

However, this long struggle has begun to take a heavy toll on their own physical and mental health. This psychological state is called burnout. It occurs as a result of tremendous physical, mental, and emotional strain, particularly occupational stress.

Studies show that in spring 2021, the prevalence of burnout was more than 60 percent among Canadian HCPs. Furthermore, nurses were the group most affected by burnout among various HCP populations.

The deadly and uncontrollable nature of a pandemic can make HCPs feel overwhelmed, anxious, and helpless. This situation is exacerbated by the lack of personal protection equipment or supply shortage, heavy workloads, and social stigmatization.

According to another national randomized survey conducted among 182 healthcare professionals in Saudi Arabia, around 40 percent reported a feeling of burnout. Several factors such as having to provide tertiary care for COVID-19 patients and dissatisfaction with the electronic health records were linked to this high prevalence of HCP burnout in the Middle East.

How Does HCP Burnout Affect Patient Care? 

Burnout can adversely affect not only HCP and patient well-being, but also the entire healthcare system. According to research, increased burnout levels among HCPs are linked to the decreased quality and safety of patient care. This is because the lack of motivation, chronic absenteeism, and low morale among the medical staff adversely affects the quality of care provided to patients.

In the long term, this can increase medical care costs, place excess burden on the healthcare system, and result in overall poor physical and mental health outcomes.

What Are the Main Causes and Symptoms of an HCP Burnout? 

The main causes of HCP burnout include:

1. Constant exposure to traumatic events
2. High workload due to excessive infection and mortality rates
3. Increased job stress and sleep deprivation due to time constraints
4. Lack of organizational or governmental support
5. Work stress interfering in personal lives and relationships

The symptoms of burnout include psychological indicators such as:

• Depersonalization, wherein HCPs develop cynical attitudes toward patients
• Emotional exhaustion due to a depletion of emotional resources
• Diminished professional achievement, characterized by excessive self-criticism and a negative evaluation of one’s professional performance
• Feelings of anxiety and stress
• Fatigue, listlessness, and insomnia
• Sadness, low mood, disillusionment, or hopelessness
• Anger or irritability
• Decreased productivity and poor concentration
• Lack of initiative, motivation, or creativity

How Can HCPs Prevent and Manage Burnout? 

HCPs usually have very demanding professional lives. However, overwork and chronic professional pressure accelerate the path to burnout. Therefore, they should consider speaking to their colleagues and supervisors to help them implement appropriate time management and teamwork strategies to achieve a healthy work-life balance and avoid stretching themselves too thin. 

Other ways in which they could combat stress include spending quality time with friends and family, adopting healthy behaviours like eating nutritious meals, getting adequate sleep, and making time for a regular exercise routine. They could also seek help from support groups, therapists, life coaches, and personal mentors to help them process their emotions and manage their time well.

Here are some of the strategies that both governmental and non-governmental healthcare institutions can implement to minimize HCP burnout:

• Provide additional training to the supporting staff when required.
• Make sure that mental health resources are convenient and accessible.
• Strengthen the organizational support to meet the HCPs’ physical, mental, and emotional needs.
• Provide a framework of support for HCPs’ family-related issues (e.g., meeting transportation, childcare, allowance, and housing needs).
• Supply personal protective equipment and other necessities.
• Create a positive work and learning environment for your HCPs.
• Implement technological solutions wherever possible to minimize workload.
• Hire support staff, particularly for paperwork and administrative tasks, to decrease the burden on HCPs and free up their time so that they can get adequate rest.

Learn More With MDBriefCase 

Burnout is a well-documented consequence of poor support of healthcare staff and has been associated with negative impacts on patient safety and quality of care. Thus, optimal HCP health and well-being are critical to successful patient management.

Join the MDBriefCase community for free to discover a range of complimentary accredited courses to help you provide optimal patient care and stay up-to-date on the latest research.