Emotional intelligence, workplace conflict and job burn-out among critical care physicians: a mediation analysis with a cross-sectional study design in Egypt.

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to examine the association between the effect of emotional intelligence on job burn-out and the mediating effect of workplace conflict management among critical care physicians. DESIGN AND SETTING: A cross-sectional study design was deployed. PARTICIPANTS: The studied sample comprised 144 critical care physicians working at two Egyptian tertiary care public hospitals. MEASURES: The participants' responses to three questionnaires were studied, including the Maslach Burnout Inventory, the Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire and the Conflict Management Formative Questionnaire, in addition to assessing coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) levels. RESULTS: Among the anaesthesiologists and critical care specialists examined, burn-out was reported by 63.9% of them. The findings of this study indicated that emotional intelligence played a notable role in predicting job burn-out, with a negative impact. Further analysis revealed that workplace conflict management acted as a mediator between emotional intelligence and the three components of job burn-out. Additionally, age and years of experience were found to have a negative correlation with burn-out and a positive correlation with conflict management. Furthermore, CoQ10 levels showed a negative correlation with burn-out, while displaying positive correlations with emotional intelligence and conflict management. CONCLUSION: Conflict management acted as a mediator in reducing burn-out by demonstrating a significant negative relationship between emotional intelligence and burn-out. Initial findings indicated that possessing good emotional intelligence and conflict management skills had a positive influence on the immune system, as evidenced by higher CoQ10 levels. However, burn-out had the opposite effect, depleting the body's CoQ10 stores and negatively impacting immune-protective mechanisms. Therefore, it is crucial to implement emotional management educational programmes and update educational policies and pedagogical practices to enhance the emotional capabilities of healthcare providers, especially in demanding fields like critical care, to effectively address conflicts.

Prevalence of Workaholism Among Egyptian Healthcare Workers With Assessment of Its Relation to Quality of Life, Mental Health and Burnout.

Introduction: Work is a social double edged weapon activity that may have positive and negative effects on individual's quality of life and health. Objectives: To estimate workaholism prevalence and to determine its effects on quality of life, mental health, and burnout among healthcare workers (HCWs). Methods: Using a cross-sectional study, 1,080 Egyptian participants distributed as HCWs and non-HCWs were recruited. The study included 4 questionnaires to assess workaholism, quality of life (QoL), Psychological capital questionnaire (PCQ), and General health questionnaire (GHQ). Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) was applied to critical specialty HCWs in addition to pro-inflammatory markers including Il6, TNFα, and CoQ10. Results: This study revealed that 24.4 and 24.8% of HCWs were workaholic and hardworking, respectively, in comparison to 5.9 and 28.1% among non-HCWs (P < 0.001). Somatic symptoms and anxiety/ insomnia domains of GHQ were higher among HCWs than non-HCWs (P < 0.001 and 0.002, respectively). QoL was significantly lower among HCWs than non-HCWs (P < 0.001). Workaholism was reported among 43.2% of HCWs with critical specialty (P < 0.001). Components of PCQ components were significantly higher among HCWs with critical specialty than non-critical HCWs while QoL showed the reverse (P < 0.05). Working excessively was a predictor to burnout [Emotional exhaustion (ß = -0.23) and depersonalization (ß = -0.25)] and TNFα (ß = 0.41). Emotional exhaustion was a predictor to Il6 (ß = 0.66), TNFα (ß = 0.73), and CoQ10 (ß = -0.78). Conclusion: There is a significant association between workaholism and psychologically poor-health and poor quality of life among HCWs. Critical specialty healthcare workers showed association between workaholism, burnout and pro-inflammatory markers. Addressing of personal characteristics, supporting factors in the work environment and periodic examination of the healthcare workers and responding accordingly is required.

Ultrasound-Guided Serratus Plane Block Versus Erector Spinae Block for Postoperative Analgesia After Video-Assisted Thoracoscopy: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial.

OBJECTIVE: There is no gold standard for the management of postoperative pain after video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS). Interfascial nerve blocks were proposed as simple and effective options. DESIGN: The present pilot randomized trial aimed to compare the perioperative analgesic effect of ultrasound-guided erector spinae plane block (ESB) with serratus plane block (SPB) in patients undergoing VATS. SETTING: University hospitals. PARTICIPANTS: Sixty adult patients scheduled to undergo VATS were enrolled in the study. INTERVENTIONS: Patients were randomly assigned in a 1:1 ratio to receive either single-shot ultrasound-guided ESB or SPB. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: The primary outcomes were pain severity, time to first postoperative analgesia, and intraoperative and postoperative analgesic requirements. Data analysis was performed with MedCalc, Version 15.8 (MedCalc, Ostend, Belgium. The ESB group showed a significantly lower VASstatic score than the SPB group from the 4th hour (p = 0.04) to the 6th hour postoperatively (p = 0.002), and the VASdynamic score was significantly lower in ESB group than the SPB group because the patients were alert (p < 0.001); this trend was consistent until the 20th hour postoperatively. Similarly, the time for first required analgesic was significantly longer in the ESB group (p < 0.001). The mean arterial pressure was significantly higher in the SPB group than in the ESB group 12 hours postoperatively (p < 0.001). No major side effects were observed in either of the study groups. CONCLUSION: ESB provided superior analgesia and longer time to first required analgesic than did SPB.