ABSTRACT
Background: COVID-19 has become the largest medical challenge worldwide, affecting the physical and mental well-being of physicians. The aim of this study was to explore the well-being of physicians during the second wave of the COVID-19 outbreak in a Belgian tertiary hospital, with special attention to anaesthesiologists. They were confronted with overcrowded intensive care units, were mentally challenged during several months by an overwhelming workload. Method(s): All physicians of the Antwerp University Hospital (UZA) were invited to participate through an online anonymous questionnaire to objectively evaluate their well-being during the second wave of the COVID-19 outbreak in Belgium. Mental well-being was evaluated by the validated Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale (WEMWBS) summing 14 equally weighted questions (scoring range 1 to 5) about mental well-being. Demographic data such as age, gender, function, COVID exposure was collected. Result(s): Ninety physicians, 42 residents and 48 staff members, completed the questionnaire with an average WEMWBS of 50.6+/-8.0. Participating residents were deployed more on COVID-19 departments compared to participating staff members (p=0.02) and reported a higher workload (p=0.001). Residents scored significantly lower on the WEMBWS compared to staff members (48.1+/-8.2 vs. 52.8+/-7.3, p=0.01). Also, 15 female anaesthesiologists scored significantly lower in the WEMWBS compared to their 12 male colleagues (p=0.03). Conclusion(s): During the second wave of the COVID-19 outbreak in Belgium, residents reported a significantly higher workload due to COVID-19 and reported a significantly lower well-being compared to staff members. Copyright © 2022 ARSMB-KVBMG. All rights reserved.
ABSTRACT
Introduction: COVID-19 has become the largest medical challenge of the last 50 years, affecting the whole world. Well-being can be scaled through the validated Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale (WEMWBS), mean score 50,7/70 general population sample.1 Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the wellbeing of physicians, during the second wave of the COVID-19 outbreak in a Belgian tertiary hospital, with special attention to anaesthesiologists who have been confronted with overcrowded intensive care units during several months challenging their physical and mental well-being. Methods: All physicians in a tertiary Belgian hospital were invited to participate by e-mail during the second COVIDoutbreak by an online anonymous questionnaire. All included persons gave their informed consent. The demographics collected were age, gender, function, COVID contact, workload and the WEMWBS score, summing 14 equally weighted questions (1 to 5) about mental well-being. SPPS, version 26.0, was used. Results: 42 residents and 48 staff members completed the online survey with average WEMWBS 50.6±8.0. Participating residents worked significantly more on a COVID-19 department than participating specialists (p=0.02). These residents noticed that their workload was higher (p=0.001) and scored lower on the WEMBWS (48.1±8.2) compared to staff members (52.8±7.3), (p=0.01). Male anaesthesiologists scored significant higher in the WEMWBS compared to their female colleagues (p=0.03). Conclusion: Physicians with a higher workload due to COVID reported a significantly lower well-being than those with a low workload. This small study showed a significant difference between the well-being of specialists and resident doctors. One out of five doctors experienced negative feelings. Attention should be paid on the prevention and treatment of well-being among healthcare workers, especially female anaesthesiologists.