• Deborah R Douglas, David Choi, Hani J Marcus, Will Muirhead, Ugan Reddy, Trudy Stewart, and LuomaAstri M VAMVDepartments of Neuroanaesthesia and Neurocritical Care.Institute of Neurology..
• Departments of Neuroanaesthesia and Neurocritical Care.
• J Neurosurg Anesthesiol. 2022 Jul 1; 34 (3): 333-338.

BackgroundThe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has affected people of all ages, races, and socioeconomic groups, and placed extraordinary stress on health care workers (HCWs). We measured the prevalence of burnout and assessed wellbeing and quality of life (QoL) in HCWs at a single UK neuroscience center after the first pandemic surge.MethodsA 38-item electronic questionnaire was disseminated through local team email lists between May 22 and June 7, 2020, to HCWs in a university neurosciences center. Burnout was measured using the single-item Emotional Exhaustion and Depersonalization scales, and wellbeing and QoL assessed using the Linear Analogue Self-Assessment Scale and the EuroQol-5 Dimension instrument.ResultsThe response rate was 57.4% (n=234); 58.2% of respondents were nurses, 69.4% were women and 40.1% were aged 25 to 34 years. Overall, 21.4% of respondents reported burnout assessed by the Emotional Exhaustion scale; burnout was higher for nurses (23.5%) and allied health care professionals (22.5%) compared with doctors (16.4%). HCWs from ethnic minority groups reported a higher rate of burnout (24.5%) compared with white HCWs (15.0%). There were no differences in reported wellbeing or QoL between professional groups, or HCW age, sex, or race. Nurses (36.8%) and staff from ethnic minority groups (34.6%) were more fearful for their health than others.ConclusionsOur findings highlight the prevalence of HCW burnout after the first surge of the pandemic, with an increased risk of burnout among nurses and staff from ethnic minority groups. Both nursing and staff from ethnic minority groups were also more fearful for their health. With ongoing pandemic surges, the impact on HCW wellbeing should be continuously assessed to ensure that local strategies to support staff wellbeing are diverse and inclusive.Copyright © 2021 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.

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