They have been on the front line for two years, to treat and help their patients not only for ordinary ailments and problems, but also for everything related to the Covid pandemic. And so they too, the doctors, got sick. Anxiety, depression, stress: the pandemic has influenced the psychological state of medical personnel, and to say so this time is a survey conducted by the University of Milan-Bicocca for ANAAO-ASSOMED Lombardia. A phenomenon, that of burnout – recently recognized by the WHO (World Health Organization) as a syndrome capable of influencing the state of health – which in Lombard doctors, one of the occupational categories most subject to chronic work stress, has been detected to a significant extent. It is not only the state of health of the subjects involved in the research that is affected, but also the work performances, which appear to be nothing more than the “echo chamber” of the psychophysical malaise investigated.
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The survey carried out between November 2021 and March 2022 with an online questionnaire to 958 Lombard doctors, shows that 71.6% of the investigated doctors suspect they have suffered from burnout, while 59.5% fear they may suffer from it in the future. The psychometric survey also illustrates how the actual prevalence of clinically relevant symptoms attributable to burnout is 18.5%, while that attributable to anxiety and depressive spectrum disorders is 31.9% and 38.7%. It is the female sex who suffer most from the burnout condition, combined with anxiety, depression and a low perception of self-efficacy – the latter element is shared with trainees; greater length of service appears to be a protective factor, associated with lower levels of burnout, anxiety and depression. Last but not least, 87.4% of Lombard doctors declare that the pandemic and the advent of the fourth pandemic wave have had medium or severe effects on their working well-being, despite the fact that the service in the COVID-19 area is not a factor. per se associated with higher levels of burnout, anxiety or depression. On the other hand, the perceived subjective variables have the greatest impact, such as the proximity of loved ones / colleagues who have had serious complications related to the infection.
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“The study provides useful information for planning preventive and managerial interventions aimed at protecting the psychological health of doctors. There is also a strong correspondence between what the objective psychometric tools detect and the subjective experience of the doctors who took part in the research”, Edoardo emphasizes. Nicolò Aiello, psychologist and PhD student in Neuroscience at the University of Milano-Bicocca. “Almost 20% of Lombard doctors accuse symptoms attributable to burnout, while more than 30% have clinical anxiety and depression. It is an alarming figure. – adds Stefano Magnone, regional secretary of ANAAO-ASSOMED Lombardia – The problems caused by the expansion this phenomenon has been widely discussed in recent times, increasing awareness even among those who are not directly involved in the health sector. Chronic work stress, or burnout syndrome, arises when the demands of work exceed the ability of the worker to deal with them, affecting the psychophysical health of the individual. Doctors are the professionals most at risk of burnout, especially women. To worsen working conditions, in addition to the lack of resources and hysterical working rhythms in which we are forced , it was the pandemic: 87.4% of Lombard doctors declare that the pandemic had medium or severe effects on their I work well-being. “
“The results of the study, conducted with methodological rigor, indicate the need to think, structure and promote programs for the accurate assessment of work discomfort for all operators and especially for women and people with less seniority of service. The project represents a an important challenge that cannot be avoided if one intends to contain burnout with all its correlates of loss of health, professionalism, work efficiency and patient satisfaction. The culture of taking care of oneself as health professionals should be addressed already during the path of studies and make specific support settings available in healthcare companies. At the same time, studies aimed at understanding how to activate resilience resources, together with the verification of the results of any interventions, would represent a good synergy between healthcare organizations and universities “concludes Ines Giorgi, psychologist and psychotherapist.