Psychological Distress after the COVID-19 Pandemic among Anesthesiologists in Poland—An Observational Study

Katarzyna Podhorodecka, Paweł Radkowski, Paulina Boniecka and Joanna Wojtkiewicz
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Katarzyna Podhorodecka: Students’ Scientific Club of Pathophysiologists, Department of Human Physiology and Pathophysiology, School of Medicine, University of Warmia and Mazury, 10-082 Olsztyn, Poland
Paweł Radkowski: Department of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care, School of Medicine, Collegium Medicum, University of Warmia and Mazury, 10-561 Olsztyn, Poland
Paulina Boniecka: Students’ Scientific Club of Pathophysiologists, Department of Human Physiology and Pathophysiology, School of Medicine, University of Warmia and Mazury, 10-082 Olsztyn, Poland
Joanna Wojtkiewicz: Department of Physiology, School of Medicine, Collegium Medicum, University of Warmia and Mazury, 10-082 Olsztyn, Poland

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 15, 1-8

Abstract: Introduction: The response to the COVID-19 pandemic by anesthesiologists has been simply heroic. Unfortunately, there are very few evidence-based studies in the literature that focus on anesthesiologists’ burnout during that time. The purpose of our study was to examine the psychological distress, after the COVID-19 pandemic, among anesthesiologists in Poland. Methods: We conducted an anonymous internet survey among a group of anesthesiologists in Poland. It contained a questionnaire, entitled “Oldenburg Burnout Inventory (OLBI)”, with demographic questions about sex, age, and family, as well as questions related to working conditions during the COVID-19 pandemic. We received data from 158 people, including 109 women and 49 men. Results: Results from the analysis showed that 73% (115/158) of the participants suffered from burnout. Moreover, 95.6% of the participants thought that the COVID-19 pandemic had had an influence on their level of burnout, and 97.3% found that it had had a negative impact. Conclusions: There is no doubt that healthcare workers, despite the difficulties associated with their daily work, have not faced challenges on such a scale in a very long time. Support for their mental health should be an essential component of the modern public healthcare system.

Keywords: COVID-19; pandemic; anesthesiologists; burnout; well-being; stress (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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