Junior doctor burnout following the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic

ABSTRACT

ObjectiveThe aim of the present study was to assess the burden of burnout in junior medical staff working across all surgical specialities at Great Ormond Street Hospital following the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.MethodsWe conducted a cross-sectional study in surgical junior doctors at Great Ormond Street Hospital following relaxation of the COVID-19-related restrictions at the end of June 2020. Burnout was evaluated using the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI). This is a widely-used, validated questionnaire, which evaluates burnout across three domains emotional exhaustion, depersonalisation, and personal accomplishment. All responses were anonymised, points (0–6) were awarded for each response, and composite scores were generated using an online tool. The degree of burnout was classified as low, medium or high for each of the three domains using standardised score ranges.ResultsA total of 25 surgical junior doctors were included in our study. The response rate was 48%, and scores from 12 fully completed MBI-HSS were included in subsequent analysis. 10 of the responders (83%) reported high burnout levels in at least one domain, and 6 (50%) across at least two domains. The main contributor to burnout was the lack of feeling of personal accomplishment that was found to be high in 67%, medium in 25%, and low in 8% of the responders. We also found significant levels of emotional exhaustion (high 42%;medium 42%;low 17%) as well as depersonalisation (high 42%;medium 42%;low 17%).ConclusionsOur study confirms the significant burden of burnout among junior doctors working in surgical specialities at Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. This could have detrimental effects on both doctor health and patient outcomes. Future work needs to focus on strategies to improve junior doctor wellbeing and prevent burnout.