Job burnout and its impact on work ability in biosafety laboratory staff during the COVID-19 epidemic in Xinjiang

COVID-19 pandemic: what factors compromised the mental capacity to work of nursing technicians?

OBJECTIVES

to identify the factors that influenced the mental capacity to work of nursing technicians during the COVID-19 pandemic.

METHODS

a cross-sectional study, carried out at two reference hospitals in assisting the population during the COVID-19 pandemic. A total of 237 professionals from Intensive Care Units participated and answered a questionnaire. Multiple linear regression models were used to assess the correlation between mental capacity to work and variables related to risks of contamination, institutional support and health.

RESULTS

lack of COVID-19 tests, lack of knowledge of routine, absences in 2021 and mental illness contributed to worse mental capacity to work. Management embracement and physical capacity were considered protective factors.

CONCLUSIONS

reduced work capacity in relation to mental demands can affect professional performance and quality of care, with implications for patients and health institutions.

The impacts of patient mistreatment on healthcare workers' role behaviors: a study in Chinese Fangcang shelter hospitals

BACKGROUND

Fangcang shelter hospitals have played an important role in the battle against the COVID-19 epidemic in China. Patients' verbal and physical attacks on medical workforce are prone to occur in such hospitals. This study explored the impacts of patient mistreatment on healthcare workers' role behaviors (service performance and patient-oriented organizational citizenship behavior).

METHODS

We examined the influence of patient mistreatment on service performance and patient-oriented organizational citizenship behavior, as well as the mediating effect of emotional exhaustion and the moderating effect of displaced aggression by patients, using hierarchical linear regression and conditional process analysis.

RESULTS

Patient mistreatment was positively associated with emotional exhaustion among healthcare workers, while emotional exhaustion was negatively associated with service performance and patient-oriented organizational citizenship behavior. Mediation analysis revealed that emotional exhaustion mediated the association between patient mistreatment and both types of role behaviors. Moderated mediation analysis found that the mediation effect was weaker when the displaced aggression by patients was high.

CONCLUSIONS

The findings clarified the relationship among patient mistreatment, emotional exhaustion, service performance, and patient-oriented organizational citizenship behavior. Additional assistance should be provided to healthcare workers dealing with patient mistreatment. Displaced aggression by patients attenuates the positive effects of patient mistreatment on the emotional exhaustion of healthcare workers. Our findings reveal the mechanism and boundary conditions of patient mistreatment affecting healthcare workers' service performance and patient-oriented organizational citizenship behavior.

Evaluation of the mental health status of community frontline medical workers after the normalized management of COVID-19 in Sichuan, China

Background

During the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, community medical workers, as the primary enforcers of community control measures, undertook many tasks with high exposure risk, resulting in severe psychological pressure, anxiety, depression and other psychological problems. Gender, type of workers, education, marital status, working years and other demographic factors were affect the mental state of medical workers. Community frontline medical workers gradually returned to normal work and life after the normalized management of COVID-19, but heavy work and high psychological pressure may continue to affect them. Thus, our research team used the same psychological questionnaire to investigate the psychological status of community frontline medical workers after the normalized management of COVID-19 compared with the COVID-19 period.

Methods

This was a cross-sectional study of community frontline medical workers in Sichuan, China, from February 6 to 17, 2023. Symptom Checklist-90 (SCL-90) and a self-designed questionnaire of demographic characteristics were provided to the participants point-to-point through a mobile network platform. Multiple logistic regression was used to analyze influencing factors related to community frontline medical workers' psychology.

Results

A total of 440 valid questionnaires were statistically analyzed, including 192 (43.64%) from doctors and 248 (56.36%) from nurses. There were 222 (50.45%) participants who were SCL-90 positive. The median total SCL-90 score of medical workers was 105.0 (IQR 95.00-123.75), which was higher than that during the COVID-19 period. The doctor's median SCL-90 score was 108.5 (IQR 96.00-136.25), and the positive item score was 16.5; the nurse's median score was 104.0 (IQR 94.00-119.50), and the positive item score was 12.0. Bachelor's degree education, no fixed contract and working years (10-19 years, 20-29 years, 30-39 years) were independent influencing factors for community frontline medical workers' psychology.

Conclusion

After the normalized management of COVID-19, community frontline medical workers still suffered from psychological problems that were even more serious than those during COVID-19. Doctors were more likely to have psychological problems than nurses. In addition, the mental health status of community frontline medical workers was affected by education, type of contract and working years. Managers should pay attention to the mental health of these people.

Job burnout and its influencing factors in Chinese medical staffs under China's prevention and control strategy for the COVID-19 pandemic

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to investigate the influencing factors of burnout among grassroots medical staff in China so as to provide a reference for improving their physical, psychological, and social statuses under China's prevention and control strategy for the COVID-19 pandemic and ensuring the sustainable supply of high-quality medical resources.

METHODS

This study was performed on medical staff in five primary hospitals in Jiangsu Province, China, from May 1, 2022, to June 1, 2022, using a general information questionnaire and Maslach Burnout Inventory Scale. SPSS 25.0 and Stata 15.0 were used for two-track data entry and analysis. The OLS regression model was established to analyze the influencing factors for the job burnout of health care personnel.

RESULTS

Two hundred seventy valid questionnaires were analyzed. The total score of job burnout was (30.16 ± 10.99). The scores of emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and self-achievement were (9.88 ± 3.839), (11.99 ± 5.68), and (8.29 ± 5.18), respectively. Feeling depressed and stressed after the pandemic, days working over the past week, and work hours per shift had a positive impact on the Maslach Burnout total score. Increased income and hours working every week had a negative impact on the Maslach Burnout total score. However, sex, age in years, degree, professional title, job category, workplace, marital status, years in practice, health status, active management of health, idea of resignation, and promotion after the pandemic did not affect the Maslach Burnout total score.

CONCLUSION

The job burnout of medical staff is affected by health conditions, working conditions, the psychological consequences of a pandemic, wages and marital status. Hospital managers should formulate incentive measures according to different psychological changes in medical staff to create a good medical working environment under the normalization of COVID-19 pandemic prevention and control.

Effects of mindfulness decompression therapy on mental health and job burnout among nurses working in the frontline of the novel coronavirus pandemic: A retrospective study

OBJECTIVES

As the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic continues to spread worldwide, nucleic acid detection is a key step in controlling it. Psychological issues and job burnout of nurses working in nucleic acid sampling roles for long periods have become apparent. This study aimed to explore the effects of mindfulness decompression therapy on mental health and job burnout in front-line nurses working in nucleic acid sampling during the pandemic.

METHODS

Nucleic acid sampling frontline nurses who were positive for burnout on both the Symptom Checklist-90 (SCL-90) and the Maslach Burnout Inventory-General Scale (MBI-GS) were selected as the participants. Frontline nurses in the nucleic acid testing area who received routine psychological nursing intervention from June 2020 to April 2021 were used as the control group. Nurses who received both routine psychological nursing and mindfulness decompression therapy from May 2021 to December 2021 formed the "mindfulness" subject group. We compared the two groups' primary outcome measures of SCL-90 and MBI-GS scores.

RESULTS

Before the intervention, there were no significant differences between the two groups in general data, SCL-90 scores, and MBI-GS scores. After the mindfulness decompression therapy, according to SCL-90 and MBI-GS scales, psychological distress and job burnout of nurses in the mindfulness group were significantly better than those in the control group.

CONCLUSION

Mindfulness decompression therapy can effectively improve mental health and relieve job burnout in frontline nurses in nucleic acid sampling areas, which is worthy of clinical application. Randomized controlled trials are still needed, however, to fully confirm the effects of mindfulness decompression therapy.

Associated factors of burnout among Chinese vaccination staff during COVID-19 epidemic: A cross-sectional study

Objective

During the COVID-19 epidemic, vaccination staff had three main aspects of work: routine vaccination for children and adults, COVID-19 vaccination and COVID-19 prevention and control. All these works significantly increased the workload of vaccination staff. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence and influencing factors of burnout among vaccination staff in Hangzhou, China.

Methods

A total of 501 vaccination staff from 201 community/township healthcare centers in Hangzhou were recruited using a cross-sectional survey through WeChat social platform. The Maslach Burnout Inventory-General Scale (MBI-GS) was used to assess the level of burnout. Descriptive statistics were made on the characteristics of participants. Univariate analysis using the chi-square test and multivariable analysis using binary logistic regression were conducted to determine the relative predictors of burnout. Univariate analysis and multiple linear regression were used to determine the relative predictors of exhaustive emotion, cynicism, and personal accomplishment.

Results

During the COVID-19 pandemic, 20.8% of the vaccination staff experienced burnout. Educational level above undergraduate education level, medium professional title, and more working time in COVID-19 vaccination work reported a higher degree of job burnout. The vaccination staff was experiencing a high degree of exhaustive emotion, cynicism, and low personal accomplishment. Professional title, working place, and working time for COVID-19 vaccination were associated with exhaustive emotion and cynicism. Professional title and participation time for COVID-19 prevention and control were associated with personal accomplishment.

Conclusions

Our findings suggest that the prevalence rate of burnout is high among vaccination staff during the COVID-19 pandemic, especially with a low level of personal accomplishment. Psychological intervention for vaccination staff is urgently needed.

The Status of Occupational Stress and Its Influence on the Health of Medical Staff in Lanzhou, China

This study aimed to understand the status quo of occupational stress and its impact on the health of medical staff and provide a theoretical basis for relieving occupational stress and improving the health status of medical staff. The occupational stress and health status of medical staff in 14 hospitals in Lanzhou were studied using a general questionnaire, Effort-Reward Imbalance questionnaire, and Self-Rated Health Measurement Scale. A total of 2169 participants were included in the analysis, and 59.4% of the medical staff experienced occupational stress. The results of the occupational stress survey showed that the prevalence of occupational stress among medical staff aged 40-50, with a master's degree or above, senior professional title, working for 10-20 years, and working more than 48 h per week was higher than in the other groups. The health survey results showed that, compared with other groups, the scores of physical, mental, and social health were lower in medical staff with working years of 10-20 years and working hours of more than 48 h per week. The results show that working years and working hours per week affect not only the level of occupational stress but also physiological, psychological, and social health.

Resilience and Protection of Health Care and Research Laboratory Workers During the SARS-CoV-2 Pandemic: Analysis and Case Study From an Austrian High Security Laboratory

The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has highlighted the interdependency of healthcare systems and research organizations on manufacturers and suppliers of personnel protective equipment (PPE) and the need for well-trained personnel who can react quickly to changing working conditions. Reports on challenges faced by research laboratory workers (RLWs) are rare in contrast to the lived experience of hospital health care workers. We report on experiences gained by RLWs (e.g., molecular scientists, pathologists, autopsy assistants) who significantly contributed to combating the pandemic under particularly challenging conditions due to increased workload, sickness and interrupted PPE supply chains. RLWs perform a broad spectrum of work with SARS-CoV-2 such as autopsies, establishment of virus cultures and infection models, development and verification of diagnostics, performance of virus inactivation assays to investigate various antiviral agents including vaccines and evaluation of decontamination technologies in high containment biological laboratories (HCBL). Performance of autopsies and laboratory work increased substantially during the pandemic and thus led to highly demanding working conditions with working shifts of more than eight hours working in PPE that stressed individual limits and also the ergonomic and safety limits of PPE. We provide detailed insights into the challenges of the stressful daily laboratory routine since the pandemic began, lessons learned, and suggest solutions for better safety based on a case study of a newly established HCBL (i.e., BSL-3 laboratory) designed for autopsies and research laboratory work. Reduced personal risk, increased resilience, and stress resistance can be achieved by improved PPE components, better training, redundant safety measures, inculcating a culture of safety, and excellent teamwork.

Healthy and Happy Working from Home? Effects of Working from Home on Employee Health and Job Satisfaction

In addition to its catastrophic health effects, the COVID-19 pandemic also acts as a catalyst for new forms of work. Working from home (WFH) has become commonplace for many people worldwide. But under what circumstances is WFH beneficial and when does it increase harms to health? The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of specific characteristics of WFH for health (work ability, stress-related physical and psychological symptoms) and job satisfaction among German employees. The study is based on data from a Germany-wide panel survey with employees from different industries (n = 519). Using multiple regressions, it was found that the functionality of the technical equipment at home has positive effects on the health of employees (i.e., ability to work, stress-related symptoms) and job satisfaction. The percentual weekly amount of WFH influences stress-related symptoms, i.e., a higher amount of weekly working time WFH, was associated with more stress-related symptoms. Furthermore, it negatively influences job satisfaction. The feeling of increased autonomy leads to positive effects on employees' job satisfaction. The results provide starting points for interventions and indicate the need for legal regulations for WFH. Further theoretical and practical implications are discussed.