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Physician’s Burnout during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Author

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  • Abdulmajeed A. Alkhamees

    (Department of Medicine, Unayzah College of Medicine and Medical Sciences, Qassim University, Unayzah 52571, Saudi Arabia)

  • Moath S. Aljohani

    (Department of Family and Community Medicine, Unayzah College of Medicine and Medical Sciences, Qassim University, Unayzah 52571, Saudi Arabia)

  • Simindokht Kalani

    (Department of Psychology, Faculty of Education and Psychology, University of Isfahan, Isfahan 8174673441, Iran)

  • Amira Mohammed Ali

    (Department of Psychiatric Nursing and Mental Health, Faculty of Nursing, Alexandria University, Alexandria 5424041, Egypt)

  • Fahad Almatham

    (Department of Medicine, Unayzah College of Medicine and Medical Sciences, Qassim University, Unayzah 52571, Saudi Arabia)

  • Afnan Alwabili

    (Department of Medicine, Unayzah College of Medicine and Medical Sciences, Qassim University, Unayzah 52571, Saudi Arabia)

  • Naif Abdullah Alsughier

    (Department of Medicine, Unayzah College of Medicine and Medical Sciences, Qassim University, Unayzah 52571, Saudi Arabia)

  • Thomas Rutledge

    (VA San Diego Healthcare System, Department of Psychiatry, Psychology Service, University of California San Diego, San Diego, CA 92093, USA)

Abstract

The burnout rate among physicians is expected to be higher during COVID-19 period due to the additional sources of physical and emotional stressors. Throughout the current COVID-19 pandemic, numerous studies have evaluated the impacts of COVID-19 on physicians’ burnout, but the reported results have been inconsistent. This current systematic review and meta-analysis aims to assess and estimate the epidemiology of burnout and the associated risk factors during the COVID-19 pandemic among physicians. A systematic search for studies targeting physicians’ burnout was conducted using PubMed, Scopus, ProQuest, Cochrane COVID-19 registry, and pre-print services (PsyArXiv and medRχiv) for English language studies published within the time period of 1 January 2020 to 1 September 2021. Search strategies resulted in 446 possible eligible studies. The titles and abstracts of these studies were screened, which resulted in 34 probable studies for inclusion, while 412 studies were excluded based on the predetermined inclusion criteria. These 34 studies went through a full-text screening for eligibility, which resulted in 30 studies being included in the final reviews and subsequent analyses. Among them, the prevalence of physicians’ burnout rate ranged from 6.0–99.8%. This wide variation could be due to the heterogeneity among burnout definitions, different applied assessment tools, and even cultural factors. Further studies may consider other factors when assessing burnout (e.g., the presence of a psychiatric disorders, other work-related and cultural factors). In conclusion, a consistent diagnostic indices for the assessment of burnout is required to enable consistent methods of scoring and interpretation.

Suggested Citation

  • Abdulmajeed A. Alkhamees & Moath S. Aljohani & Simindokht Kalani & Amira Mohammed Ali & Fahad Almatham & Afnan Alwabili & Naif Abdullah Alsughier & Thomas Rutledge, 2023. "Physician’s Burnout during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(5), pages 1-11, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:20:y:2023:i:5:p:4598-:d:1088241
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Nicola Magnavita & Paolo Maurizio Soave & Walter Ricciardi & Massimo Antonelli, 2020. "Occupational Stress and Mental Health among Anesthetists during the COVID-19 Pandemic," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(21), pages 1-14, November.
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    1. Ginevra Malta & Fulvio Plescia & Stefania Zerbo & Maria Gabriella Verso & Serena Matera & Alenka Skerjanc & Emanuele Cannizzaro, 2024. "Work and Environmental Factors on Job Burnout: A Cross-Sectional Study for Sustainable Work," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(8), pages 1-12, April.

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    Keywords

    COVID-19; burnout; physicians;
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