ABSTRACT
Background: Due to the pandemic that started in February-March 2020 and after many years of economic restrictions suffered by our health system, the levels of stress, exhaustion and suffering among health workers has increased. Objective: Our study aims to perform a comparative analysis of the degree of burnout and emotional wellbeing among health professionals between 2014 and 2021. Methods: This is a comparative descriptive study of two cohorts of primary care professionals of the Lleida health region (SPAIN). We have one cohort from 2014 and another from 2021 with the same selection criteria. Burnout was assessed using the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI-HSS) test. Gender, age, professional category and work environment were also evaluated. Results: We obtained a response rate in 2014 of 52.7% (n = 267) and of 41.4% (n = 217) in 2021 with similar sociodemographic characteristics. There are significant differences (p < 0.001) in the three categories of burnout. The high scores for emotional exhaustion and depersonalization have increased, rising between 2014 and 2021 from 23.2 to 60.8% and from 12.4 to 42.4%, respectively. However, there is also a significant increase in high personal accomplishment, rising from 9.0% in 2014 to 26.7%. We have also detected differences depending on age and professional role. Conclusion: This study shows worsening burnout levels of primary care professionals in our region, specifically emotional exhaustion and depersonalization. However, it also shows that during the pandemic, personal accomplishment was reinforced.
Subject(s)
Burnout, Professional , Humans , Burnout, Professional/epidemiology , Burnout, Professional/psychology , Burnout, Psychological , Emotions , Health Personnel , Primary Health CareABSTRACT
In Spain, the vaccination program began in a context of high transmission and low availability of vaccines. The objective of this article is to review the vaccination program against COVID-19 in Europe (3/03/2022) and assess the obstacles, challenges and opportunities posed by the control of this disease. Five vaccines are currently available in Europe: two based on mRNA technology (Comirnaty® and Spikevax®); two based on a non-replicative vector (Vaxzevria® and Janssen); and another based on subunit S (Novavax®). Health authorities have developed comprehensive vaccination strategies prioritizing the prevention of hospitalizations and deaths. In January 2022, 90% of the population was exceeded with full vaccination and 95% coverage in people over 50 years of age. The new challenge is to achieve similar coverage in the rest of the age groups. Vaccination in children and adolescents has become a priority due to the educational and social implications derived from COVID-19 in this population. Communication strategies must be renewed and access barriers eliminated to achieve good coverage. In Spain, studies have been published that find a high effectiveness of vaccination. The main strategy for controlling the pandemic and recovering social activity is the vaccination, but everything indicates that very high levels of vaccination coverage will be necessary and to follow with the non-pharmaceutical measures. In a globalized world, COVID-19 control will only be achieved with a coordinated global strategy and technical and economic support for the vaccination strategy in resource-poor countries.