Burnout in Healthcare Professionals in Latin America in times of COVID-19; [Burnout en profesionales sanitarios de América Latina durante la pandemia de COVID-19]

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on the mental health of healthcare workers. Objective: To estimate the prevalence of Burnout and its associated factors in a sample of healthcare professionals in Latin America. Method: In a cross-sectional multicenter study, 5.437 health professionals from 6 Latin America countries were included. The Mini-Z adapted, and a demographic questionnaire was used. The prevalence of burnout was estimated from the cut-off points of the instrument, and binary logistic regression was performed. Results: 59.8% of the surveyed population suffered from burnout. A higher risk was found in professionals from Argentina (OR = 0.673; P<.001), young health workers (OR = 0.975; P<.001), women (OR = 0.847; P<.001), public sector workers (OR = 1.352; P<.001), specialists (OR = 1.352; P<.001) and general practitioners (OR = 1.363; P<.001). Conclusions: The prevalence of burnout among health professionals in Latin America is high. It is essential to offer psychosocial care programs for health personnel to mitigate the effects of the pandemic on their mental health. © 2024 Asociación Colombiana de Psiquiatría