SARS/MERS/SARS-CoV-2 Outbreaks and Burnout Syndrome among Healthcare Workers. An Umbrella Systematic Review

Nicola Magnavita, Francesco Chirico, Sergio Garbarino, Nicola Luigi Bragazzi, Emiliano Santacroce and Salvatore Zaffina
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Nicola Magnavita: Post-Graduate School of Occupational Medicine, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, 00168 Rome, Italy
Francesco Chirico: Post-Graduate School of Occupational Medicine, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, 00168 Rome, Italy
Sergio Garbarino: Post-Graduate School of Occupational Medicine, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, 00168 Rome, Italy
Nicola Luigi Bragazzi: Laboratory for Industrial and Applied Mathematics (LIAM), Department of Mathematics and Statistics, York University, 4700 Keele Street, Toronto, ON M3J 1P3, Canada
Emiliano Santacroce: Post-Graduate School of Occupational Medicine, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, 00168 Rome, Italy
Salvatore Zaffina: Occupational Health Unit, Medical Direction, Bambino Gesù Children’s Hospital IRCCS, 00165 Rome, Italy

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 8, 1-13

Abstract: The coronavirus-19 (COVID-19) pandemic is putting a severe strain on all healthcare systems. Several occupational risk factors are challenging healthcare workers (HCWs) who are at high risk of mental health outcomes, including Burnout Syndrome (BOS). BOS is a psychological syndrome characterized by emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and low personal accomplishment. An umbrella review of systematic reviews and meta-analyses concerning BOS and coronavirus (SARS/MERS/SARS-CoV-2) outbreaks was carried out on PubMed Central/Medline, Cochrane Library, PROSPERO, and Epistemonikos databases. Data relating to COVID-19 is insufficient, but in previous SARS and MERS outbreaks about one-third of HCWs manifested BOS. This prevalence rate is similar to the figure recorded in some categories of HCWs exposed to chronic occupational stress and poor work organization during non-epidemic periods. Inadequate organization and worsening working conditions during an epidemic appear to be the most likely causes of BOS. Preventive care and workplace health promotion programs could be useful for protecting healthcare workers during pandemics, as well as during regular health activities.

Keywords: burnout syndrome; mental health; coronavirus; COVID-19; healthcare; occupational stress; prevention (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (20)

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