Burnout syndrome among Tobagonian healthcare-workers during the COVID-19 pandemic

Burnout syndrome received increased scientific attention in the wake of the Coronavirus-19 (COVID-19) pandemic. Globally, burnout prevalence rates increased, but there is limited published data on this phenomenon in the English-speaking Caribbean. The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of the burnout syndrome among doctors and nurses (termed healthcare-workers) in a hospital in Tobago during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study also sought to identify potential associated factors, and to assess coping strategies. This was a cross-sectional study of 102 doctors and nurses selected using convenience sampling. The Maslach Burnout Inventory, Pandemic Experiences and Perceptions Survey (PEPS) and the Brief Coping Orientation to Problems Experienced (COPE) screening tools were administered through a self-administered questionnaire hosted on the Google Forms online platform. Binomial logistic regression was applied to evaluate potential predictive variables of burnout in healthcare workers. The overall prevalence of burnout during the COVID-19 pandemic was 33.3%, with approximately 10% reporting severe levels of burnout. Lifestyle factors such as use of sleeping pills (p = 0.002) and time spent doing relaxing activities (p = 0.015) were found to have a statistically significant association with burnout. A healthcare worker using sleeping pills was demonstrated to have increased odds of developing burnout (OR: 12.667; 95% CI: 2.359, 68.015) as compared to persons who did not use this substance. Acceptance and religion were the most utilized coping strategies. Behavioural disengagement was demonstrated to have a significant relationship with burnout (p < 0.001). Burnout syndrome was a significant concern during the COVID-19 pandemic among healthcare-workers serving under the Tobago Regional Health Authority. Both organizational and individual interventions are necessary to reduce negative outcomes to the affected staff and the patients they serve.