Burnout syndrome among healthcare workers during COVID-19 Pandemic in Accra, Ghana

Abstract

Background The emergence of the corona virus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has increased the workload of health workers particularly those in sub-Saharan Africa predisposing them to extra job-related stress and its associated job-related burnout. Burnout reduces the number, distribution and productivity of health workers. This study sought to determine personal and job-related characteristics of health workers in Accra, Ghana that influenced their experience of burnout during the COVID-19 pandemic. Method A cross-sectional study was conducted among 1,264 health workers recruited from three public hospitals in Accra, Ghana between March to November, 2020. The participants were recruited using a proportionate stratified sampling technique and completed a pre-tested questionnaire that collected information on socio-demographic and job-related factors. Also, the questionnaire assessed participants’ level of resilience and job-related burnout. Pearson’s chi-square test was used to determine the association between burnout and the socio-demographic as well as job-related factors. However, for variables with observations less than six, a Fisher’s exact test, was used to determine the associations. After the binary analysis, multivariate logistic regressions were used to determine the strength of association between the socio-demographic as well as job-related factors and burnout. Data analyses were conducted at a significant level (alpha 0.05) and power of 95% confidence with the aid of Stata 15.0. Results The prevalence of burnout among the participants was 20.57% with non-clinicians displaying higher burnout compared to clinicians (26.74&% v 15.64%, p< 0.001). Health workers with 1–5 years working experience were 26.81 more likely to experience burnout (AOR = 26.81, CI = 6.37–112.9). Night shifts defined as shifts between 8:00pm to 8:00am was associated with the 1.86 odds of experiencing burnout (OR = 1.86; 95% CI: 1.33–2.61; p<0.001). Also, participants of the primary level facility were 3.91 times more likely (AOR = 3.91, 95% CI = 2.39–6.41) to experience burnout on the job. Similarly, participants with additional jobs were 1.14 times more likely (AOR = 1.14, 95% CI = 0.75–1.74) to experience burnout. In addition, participants harboring intentions of leaving their current jobs were 4.61 times more likely (AOR = 4.61, 95% CI = 2.73–7.78) to experience burnout. Furthermore, participants with perceived high workload were 2.38 times more likely (AOR = 2.38, 95% CI = 1.40–4.05) to experience burnt-out on the job. Conclusion There is high prevalence of burnout among health workers in Accra particularly during the onslaught of the COVID-19 pandemic. Working on night shifts and at the primary level of healthcare is significantly associated with increased odds of experiencing burnout.We recommend shift rotation for staff and adequate resource provision for primary level hospitals. The high burnout in this study could be influenced by other factors such as the grief caused by multiple losses and also the limited supportive resources for health workers.