The first wave of COVID-19 and mental distress of physician residents in Brazil: a comparison between two cohorts

Abstract Introduction The reorganization of healthcare systems to face the COVID-19 pandemic has led to concerns regarding psychological distress of healthcare workers, and training requirements of physician residents. Objective To assess the influence of COVID-19 pandemic on depression, anxiety, bu...

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Main Authors: Mário Luciano de Mélo Silva Júnior (Author), Arthur Violante Sapia (Author), Jonas Marques Cavalcanti Neto (Author), Nathallya Maria Gomes Barbosa (Author), Victória Beatriz Costa Neiva (Author), Euler Nicolau Sauaia Filho (Author)
Format: Book
Published: BMC, 2023-02-01T00:00:00Z.
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Summary:Abstract Introduction The reorganization of healthcare systems to face the COVID-19 pandemic has led to concerns regarding psychological distress of healthcare workers, and training requirements of physician residents. Objective To assess the influence of COVID-19 pandemic on depression, anxiety, burnout and training schedules of residents. Methods Two independent cross-sectional studies (the first in November 2019 [control], the second in June 2020, during the first wave of COVID-19 pandemic) enrolling physician residents from Brazil, using online surveys. In each of them, we collected demographic and training program data, and assessed depression, anxiety and burnout through PHQ-2, GAD-2 and MBI (2-item version) scales, respectively. We controlled confounding variables with logistic regression analysis. Results The COVID-19 cohort (n = 524) presented a briefer workload and had at least 1 day off per week more frequently, in relation to the control cohort (n = 1 419). The majority of residents (464/524, 89.5%) had a reduction in their duty hours, and believed they would need an extra training period after the end of the pandemic (399/524, 76.2%). The frequency of depression increased (46.0% vs. 58.8%, aOR = 1.64, 95% CI = 1.32-2.05), anxiety did not change (56.5% vs. 56.5%, aOR = 1.24, 95% CI = 0.99-1.55) and burnout decreased (37.0% vs. 26.1%, aOR = 0.77, 95% CI = 0.60-0.99). Sensitivity analysis did not change these results. Conclusion Mental distress is frequent among residents and associated with both training program and social environments. The consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic on training requirements should be specifically addressed by supervisors and policymakers, in a case-by-case basis. Psychological support must be provided to healthcare workers.
Item Description:10.1186/s12960-022-00790-5
1478-4491