ABSTRACT
Introduction The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in an unpredictable healthcare crisis with a high psychological burden on healthcare workers. Objective To evaluate burnout levels and their associated demographics and occupational factors among intensive care unit healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in a single hospital in the city of Temuco, Chile. Methods A cross-sectional design in which a sociodemographic questionnaire and the Maslach Burnout Inventory for Human Services were sent to health care workers in a single Chilean Intensive Care Unit during the pandemic COVID-19. Burnout levels, demographic, and occupational factors are reported using descriptive statistics; correlations between burnout levels and demographic-occupational factors were analyzed using Spearman's and rank-biserial correlation coefficients; and multiple linear stepwise regression was used to assess the contribution of demographic and occupational factors to participants' burnout levels. Results A total of 84 participants (46 women and 38 men) were included in the analysis. Depersonalization and low personal accomplishment were evidenced in 95.2% and 98.8% of the intensive care unit healthcare workers, respectively. Emotional exhaustion was positively correlated with having children ( = 0.72; < 0.01). Age ( = 0.79; < 0.05), sex ( = 0.30; < 0.05), and prior experience in intensive care unit facilities ( = 0.71; < 0.05) were correlated with depersonalization. Feeling of personal accomplishment was positively correlated with with sex ( = 0.70; < 0.05) and type of work shift ( = 0.29; < 0.01). Conclusions The intensive care unit healthcare workers in this study reported high levels of depersonalization and low feelings of personal accomplishment during an advanced stage of the COVID-19 pandemic. Older age, being female, having children, having intensive care unit experience, and working at 4th shift were factors related to burnout dimensions.
ABSTRACT
Background: Hand grip strength could be influenced by gender, age and handedness. Aim: To describe differences in grip strength for age, gender and upper extremity handedness in non-disabled community-dwelling older adults. Material and Methods: We studied 47 males aged 72.3 ± 5.6 years and 69 females 72.4 ± 6.0 years who were divided in two age groups (65-70 and ≥ 71 years old). Grip strength was determined by a standardized protocol using a hand dynamometer. Results: There was an inverse correlation between grip strength and age in both hands only among men (p ≤ 0.05). When analyzing both genders, there was a significant inverse correlation between grip strength and age only in the dominant hand (p ≤ 0.05). Strength was higher in the dominant hand in both genders (p ≤ 0.05). It was also higher in men, compared to women in the two age groups studied (p ≤ 0.05). Conclusions: Grip strength is higher in men than women, it decreases with age and is higher in the dominant hand.