Emotional Exhaustion and Professional Satisfaction During Covid-19 Pandemic at the Level of Emergency Department Staff

Abstract

Introduction: Burnout is a syndrome conceptualized as result of the chronic stress at the work place which was not successfully managed. The possible negative effects on the medical staff, the patients and the health institutions have generated interest and motivated the research to understand the possible causes, these effects also influence the burnout predictors. The medical services suppliers within the emergency department have had one of the greatest exhaution occurences even before the pandemic. Being in the first line in contact with the suspected patients or confirmed with COVID-19 infection intensifies this fact. Both the working factors (working hours, years of practice, number of treated patients, professional development activities) and the socio- demographic factors (age, sex, civil status, income, education) are associated with the exhaustion at the work place.

Material and methods: I have studied a total of 120 participants, receiving 115 valid questionnaires, the answering ratio being 95,83%. This was a descriptive, multicentre, transversal study of the medical and the auxiliary staff within the department UPU-SMURD of the County Clinic Emergency Hospital “Sf. Ap. Andrei” Galați. The staff gave their consent and attended a combined interview which consisted of a pilot questionnaire and a demographic questionnaire. 

Results and discussions: The average score of exhaustion at the staff level was 3.25, a great percentage of the doctors within the ED (45.8%), (n=24) indicates an increased level of exhaustion, only 26.8% (n=80) of nurses show an increased level of exhaustion. The average score of the stress level shown by the staff is 3.1, 66.6% (n=24) among which the doctors with an increased stress level 9.1% (n=9) auxiliary staff, 23.8% (n=80) of nurses.

Conclusions: The results show us a high exhaustion, stress and depression ratio at the emergency doctors in comparison with the other professional categories within the ED. A high level of professional satisfaction is accompanied by an increased level of stress and of self-esteem.