Burnout and work engagement among hospital staff during the COVID-19 pandemic : longitudinal results from the COPE-CORONA study

Kurzfassung/Abstract

Background
We investigated changes in burnout and work engagement and their predictors in hospital staff during the COVID-19 pandemic in an international study supported by the European Association of Psychosomatic Medicine (EAPM).

Methods
Two online surveys were distributed to hospital staff in seven countries (Germany, Andorra, Ireland, Spain, Italy, Romania, Iran) between May and October 2020 (T1) and between February and April 2021 (T2). Burnout, work engagement, job function, age, gender, and contact with COVID-19 patients, and individual resources (self-compassion, sense of coherence, social support) and work-related factors (support at the workplace, risk perception, health and safety at the workplace, rejection due to work) were measured via self-report questionnaires at both measurements.

Results
A total of 611 respondents were included for longitudinal analyses (75.6% women). From T1 to T2, we found a slight increase in burnout, but not for work engagement. Burnout was high among personnel with high contact with COVID-19 patients. Personnel who had contact with COVID-19 patients at T1 but no longer at T2 showed persistently high levels of exhaustion. These differences were independent of job function. Individual resources and work-related factors showed associations with burnout and work engagement, both at T1 and T2. However, no significant interactions emerged.

Conclusion
Burnout represents a potential problematic consequence of occupational contact with COVID-19 patients. Since this also applies to personnel whose contact decreased significantly, special attention should be paid to this group in organizational health management. Individual resources as well as organizational factors are important starting points for interventions.