ALMOST THREE QUARTERS of hospital staff working in the country’s two largest emergency departments during the Covid-19 pandemic showed signs of burnout, according to the results of new medical research.

The study by researchers at University College Cork found 74% of staff at St James’ Hospital Dublin and Cork University Hospital recorded signs of burnout in a standardised test to assess burnout levels.

The report’s authors said the findings indicated staff working in the emergency departments of Irish hospitals are “under substantial occupational strain,” although they could not establish a causal link between Covid-19 and high burnout levels.

“The study iterates what is already known: firstly, that almost three quarters of ED staff are currently experiencing significant levels of burnout in Ireland and secondly that the health care workers are exhausted,” they added.

The study claimed the average exhaustion level among frontline healthcare staff was higher than that recorded in any other similar study of which they were aware.

The average burnout rate among the general population from various studies has been 13-27%.

A total of 99 doctors, nurses and other healthcare staff from the two hospitals’ emergency department participated in the study which was carried out in December 2020 before the distribution of Covid-19 vaccines.

The study, which is published in the Irish Journal of Medical Science, showed staff in St James’ Hospital had a higher rate of burnout at 81% compared to 67% among staff at CUH, although the difference was not regarded as statistically significant.

Similarly, there were no statistically significant differences in burnout rates between occupation, age or gender across the two hospitals, although lower burnout levels were associated with younger staff and fewer years employed in an emergency department..

The report’s authors pointed out that healthcare professionals are particularly susceptible to burnout because it results from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed.

They claimed other studies show the risk is even more pronounced among staff working in emergency departments.

However, they said there was limited data on burnout levels among Irish frontline staff to date particularly in relation to Covid-19, while the pandemic was causing “substantial upheaval” to the structure and nature of work in the emergency departments of hospitals.

Among the signs of burnout are lack of energy, emotional exhaustion, negativity about one’s profession and reduced professional efficacy while it can lead to a wide variety of stress-related mental and physical health conditions ranging from anxiety to depression and suicide as well as physical disorders such as hypertension and stroke.

Other negative impacts of burnout include increased absenteeism and increases in healthcare errors.

The UCC researchers noted that additional factors arose during a pandemic including a fear of virus exposure, increased work hours and a disruption of a work-life balance and disruption to family life.

A majority of respondents claimed the increased requirement for personal protective equipment as well as social distancing between staff and also social distancing outside work has had a negative impact on their well being.

In contrast, two-thirds of hospital staff viewed the decrease in the number of visitors attending with patients as a positive effect of the pandemic.

Increased pre-hospital screening of patients and changed layouts of the emergency department were also cited as positive impacts of Covid-19.

However, hospital staff felt increased media coverage of the healthcare industry, changing public perceptions of frontline workers and a decreased willingness of patients to go to emergency departments had no effect on their wellbeing.

“The Covid-19 pandemic may be contributing to the long-established problem of health care burnout,” the study concluded.

However, it added: “The real burden of the pandemic on healthcare staff remains to be seen.”

The authors said it was imperative going forward that consistent, progressive measures were implemented to address staff well-being and to support frontline workers.