Abstract
The coronavirus pandemic has put unprecedented pressure on the healthcare system of Bulgaria, especially in the context of the shortage of professionals such as public health inspectors. As a result, additional obligations were added to their routines which increased their workload and put them at risk of developing burnout. Purpose: To study the level of burnout among public health inspectors before and during the COVID-19 pandemic and to make a comparative analysis of the results in view of the inspectors’ increased workload in the time of the pandemic. Materials and methods: Three studies of public health inspectors from the system of the Regional Health Inspectorate were conducted: two burnout studies using the Maslach Burnout Inventory in 2019 and 2021 (respectively of 62 and 61 persons) and a questionnaire survey of 116 subjects in 2020-2021 on the workload level. Results: During the pandemic, a considerable increase in the values of the three questionnaire aspects was observed. The highest level of emotional exhaustion was reported in the 31-44 age group with work experience of 11-20 years (88%), whereas the highest level of depersonalization and the lowest of personal accomplishment were identified in the over 55 age group (50% and 92%). In 2019 around 38.7 % of health inspectors were at a high risk of burnout, while in 2021, the number increased to 73.7%. Conclusions: During the pandemic, the share of health inspectors at risk of burnout has significantly increased. Therefore, early intervention and prevention of the syndrome are needed.
Publisher
Peytchinski Publishing Ltd.