Burnout among healthcare professionals during COVID-19 pandemic: a cross-sectional study

Background The unpredictable nature of the new COVID-19 pandemic and the already alarming incidence of healthcare workers being affected can have a significant impact on the psychological well-being of the staff. Objective To describe the prevalence of burnout among healthcare professionals and the associated factors. Design Cross-sectional survey. Setting Eight university affiliated hospitals in the capital city of Tehran, Iran. Participants All healthcare workers at the study sites who had been taking care of COVID-19 patients. Measurements Age, gender, marital status, having children, hospital, job category, experience, and work load, as well as the level of burnout in each subscale. Results 326 persons (53.0%) experienced high levels of burnout. The average score in emotional exhaustion, depersonalization and lack of personal accomplishment was 26.6, 10.2, and 27.3, respectively. The level of burnout in the three subscales varied based on the personal as well as work related factors and gender was the only variable that was associated with high levels of all three domains. Limitations There was no control group and thus we cannot claim a causal relationship between COVID-19 and the observed level of burnout. Not all confounding factors might have been accounted for. Conclusions Burnout is prevalent among healthcare workers caring for COVID-19 patients. Age, gender, job category, and site of practice contribute to the level of burnout that the staff experience. Funding source None