Concern in local hospitals about burnout syndrome

By Mario Minervino / [email protected]

“What health workers are going through following the Covid is very worrying. The psychological and psychiatric damage that will remain is great ”.

The person reporting this situation is Dr. Gustavo Piñero, Deputy Director of Medical Care at the Leónidas Lucero Municipal Hospital in our city, in reference to the increase in the number of people affected by Burnout Syndrome, a disease that affects workers exposed to high and persistent temperatures. stressful conditions generated by the pandemic.

Health workers continue to be the protagonists of this pandemic, “in the trenches”, on the front line of fire, who are sometimes applauded and who (exceptionally) are stigmatized by others, but who do not cease to assist and to perform their duties.

The truth is that 15 months after the start of the pandemic, doctors and anesthetists, nurses and assistants are paying a high price for their health in the face of such demand.

The name “Burnout disease” does not say much, but it generates a clear impact when referred to as “burn syndrome”, as recognized by the World Health Organization.

This is one of the serious consequences that the Covid generates in health personnel, mainly in those who work in intensive care areas.

It is a disorder developed by people under high levels of stress and responsibility. Its symptoms are varied: chronic fatigue, headaches, through irritability, frustration and anxiety. It is a syndrome of emotional exhaustion, depersonalization and diminished feelings of personal growth.

Although it is a perceived disease on the rise, the Covid has amplified it by demanding unprecedented levels of workload, more pressure, uncertainty and a decrease in sleep hours. These circumstances generate exhaustion, the feeling of not being able to do more with the work, a decrease in attention and performance.

In Bahia it worries

At Leónidas Lucero Municipal Hospital, Burnout syndrome has been analyzed for years, although it was only recently recognized as a disease.

“In the midst of a pandemic, we were unable to continue our investigation, but the idea is to resume it because we are very worried in the current context,” explained Dr Piñero.

The professional has no doubts that since the Covid the staff assigned to his care have a certain percentage of affectation with this disease,

“With the aggravating factor that it is very difficult to have replacements who allow workers to rest. When we summon doctors, we have not been able to do it,” he said.

Faced with this reality, what is attempted is to organize work shifts to give rest to the most complicated workers, although this alternative is not easy to implement either since the number of infected people by the Covid is increasing, in quantity and severity.

“Today, the medical clinic has turned into an intermediate care space with patients who need to enter intensive care who refuel. This creates stress for all the staff, faced with a pathology that is complex to manage in itself, ”he added.

Piñero assured that this activity, “so intense and exhausting”, will have repercussions “in the short, medium and long term” on the workers.

“The outlook is not very encouraging, especially since there are no measures to reverse it either. For example, in the health part there is no insalubrity (being able to retire with less age), except in very specific places, but not in the emergency zone. This makes the wear much more important ”.

“Most newly admitted physicians avoid the specialties of intensive care and emergencies. They know that the working conditions are not adequate and that there is no type of bonus. Without forgetting that they place the professional face to face with possible conflicts from a legal point of view ”.

For Dr Gabriel Peluffo, general manager of Penna Hospital, “it is not far to start having burnout patients because the stress is already very prolonged”.

“This pandemic situation clearly generates the effect of stressful situations, which manifest themselves in depression, panic attacks, chronic fatigue and psychological disorders. This is something that suffers anyone who works in the health sector, but basically in lines of greater exposure such as custody, medical clinic and therapy ”.

In conclusion, a situation that will have counterproductive repercussions for both medical staff and patients, because the first wave has passed, the second, the third is coming and some are talking about a fourth. And the protagonists remain the same.

A local study

The World Health Organization (WHO) recognized last year Burnout or “burnout syndrome” as a disease and its entry into force was set for January 1, 2022.

Leónidas Lucero Municipal Hospital conducted a study on burnout focusing on three aspects: emotional fatigue, depersonalization and personal development of staff.

The results obtained: 60.6% with emotional exhaustion, 65.7% with depersonalization and 55% with personal frustration. The symptoms are manifested by a feeling of emptiness, frustration at work, a feeling of being at the limit of one’s possibilities, an inability to solve problems, a lack of importance in what happens to the patient.

In another study, the situation of emergency physicians at Rivadavia, Zubizarreta, Álvarez, Tornú, Penna, Pirovano, Piñero, Argerich, Santojanni and Vélez Sarsfield hospitals was analyzed.

44.37% have already thought about changing jobs. 64.37% say that work has a negative influence on their family life. 71.87% would advise their children not to study medicine. The sensations at the end of the most voted watch were fatigue (85.93%) and anger intolerance (32.18%). 72.50% say they made mistakes due to working conditions.