Burnout and psychological distress amongst Australian healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic

Hannah Dobson; Charles B Malpas; Aidan Jc Burrell; Caroline Gurvich; Leo Chen; Jayashri Kulkarni; Toby Winton-Brown

doi:10.1177/1039856220965045

Burnout and psychological distress amongst Australian healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic

Australas Psychiatry. 2021 Feb;29(1):26-30. doi: 10.1177/1039856220965045. Epub 2020 Oct 12.

Authors

Hannah Dobson^{1

2}, Charles B Malpas³, Aidan Jc Burrell⁴, Caroline Gurvich⁵, Leo Chen⁵, Jayashri Kulkarni⁵, Toby Winton-Brown^{1

6}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Psychiatry, The Alfred Hospital, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.
² The Monash Alfred Psychiatry Research Centre, Monash University, VIC, Australia.
³ Department of Neuroscience, Central Clinical School, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.
⁴ Department of Intensive Care, The Alfred Hospital, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.
⁵ The Monash Alfred Psychiatry Research Centre, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.
⁶ Department of Neuroscience, Central Clinical School, Monash University, VIC, Australia.

Abstract

Objective: To examine psychological distress in healthcare workers (HCWs) during the COVID-19 pandemic in April-May 2020.

Methods: A cross-sectional survey examining demographic, employment and mental health characteristics of HCWs in a large metropolitan hospital in Australia.

Results: HCWs showed significant symptoms of moderate-severe level depression (21%), anxiety (20%) and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD; 29%), associated with burnout, prior psychiatric history, profession and resilience.

Conclusion: Despite low levels of COVID contact, moderate to high levels of psychological distress were reported. Continued monitoring and support for HCWs' mental well-being is warranted as the COVID-19 pandemic develops.

Keywords: COVID-19; burnout; healthcare workers; mental health.

MeSH terms

Adult
Anxiety Disorders / epidemiology*
Australia / epidemiology
Burnout, Professional / epidemiology*
COVID-19*
Cross-Sectional Studies
Depressive Disorder / epidemiology*
Female
Hospitals, Urban / statistics & numerical data*
Humans
Male
Middle Aged
Personnel, Hospital / statistics & numerical data*
Psychological Distress*
Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / epidemiology*