Impacto da pandemia pelo Covid-19 na saúde mental do médico residente em duas instituições da rede de saúde de Belo Horizonte – Minas Gerais.

Abstract

In recent years there has been an increase in concern for the mental health of health professionals. Characterized by a positive physical, social and emotional state, well-being allows involvement with work. At the opposite end of the wellness spectrum is exhaustion, expressed in a syndrome called burnout and characterized by emotional exhaustion, depersonalization (including a negative and cynical attitude towards work) and feelings of decreased achievement at work. Although risk factors for exhaustion are broad and exist at all stages of the medical practice, resident physicians seem to be particularly vulnerable because of long working hours, low autonomy and varying levels of social support. The context originated from the pandemic by COVID-19 may have contributed negatively to the mental health of this population. This study aimed to study burnout syndrome in resident physicians involved in covid-19 care during the pandemic. A cross-sectional study was conducted in two health institutions in the city of Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, between March 2020 and February 2022. Resident physicians enrolled in these institutions and involved in the care of patients with suspected or confirmed diagnosis of Covid 19 in this period were invited to participate. The study was carried out through the application of the questionnaires in the period between June 5th to September 14th, 2022: Oldenburg Burnout Inventory (OLBI); Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS-21); Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9); Brief Resilient Coping Scale (BRCS) and Suffering Degree Scale: Visual Analog Scale (VAS) available on the Google Forms platform. Among the 181 resident physicians invited to participate, 104 accepted the invitations and answered the questionnaires. The mean age (DS) of the participants was 29.9 (3.3) years, 56.7% were female and 67.3% were enrolled in a clinical residency program. The frequency of burnout syndrome assessed by the OLBI scale was 100%. The OLBI scores were 43.3 (SD 8.2), 21.7 (SD 4.1) and 21.6 (SD 4.9) for the total score and the domains detachment and exhaustion, respectively. In the multivariate analysis being single, using psychiatric medications and direct care to COVID-19 remained directly associated with the increase in the OLBI scale score. In conclusion, the frequency of burnout found in our study was extremely high. By acting directly in the pandemic for an extended period, medical residents may have experienced intense exhaustion and a strong sense of lack of personal fulfillment. We must recognize the burnout of resident physicians as another effect of COVID-19 and seek tools that can support these new generations of physicians.

Key words: Burnout; Resident Physicians; Stress; Resilience, Psychological and COVID-19