Changes in Pediatric Faculty Burnout During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Area of Science:

• Medical research
• Public health
• Occupational health

Background:

• The COVID-19 pandemic introduced significant workflow changes in healthcare.
• Pediatric faculty in early epicenters faced unprecedented challenges.
• Burnout among healthcare professionals is a growing concern.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on pediatric faculty burnout.
• To investigate changes in worklife associated with the pandemic.
• To test the hypothesis that burnout would increase during a COVID-19 surge.

Main Methods:

• Serial cross-sectional surveys administered to pediatric faculty at a tertiary-care children's hospital.
• Surveys conducted pre-surge, during the surge, and post-surge (February, April, September 2020).
• Primary outcome: burnout prevalence; secondary outcome: areas of worklife scores. Statistical analysis included t-tests, Mann-Whitney, chi-squared, and Fisher's exact tests.

Main Results:

• Burnout prevalence remained stable across survey periods (20%-26%).
• No significant demographic differences were observed between survey periods.
• Mean emotional exhaustion scores improved during the COVID-19 surge (P = .04).

Conclusions:

• The study found no increase in pediatric faculty burnout following a COVID-19 surge.
• Emotional exhaustion unexpectedly improved during the surge period.
• Longer-term monitoring is suggested to understand the sustained impact on healthcare professionals.