Benessere mentale dei medici anestesisti-rianimatori: studio di prevalenza e prospettive di policy

Background: Burnout is one of the main occupational risks for healthcare workers. Our study focused on the study of burnout present in the Italian population of anesthesiologists in order to evaluate the extent of the phenomenon, the potential causes and the possible policies to be undertaken. Methods: The study, carried out on a sample (300 subjects) enrolled at the Simulearn Simulation Center in Bologna in February 2020®. The sample's burnout values were correlated with demographic and sociological questions, exploring the number of burnout subjects in relation to working and living conditions. Furthermore, scientifically validated and standardized psychological tests (ADPIV/MSAS/STAY2/SCL90/PNI/BDI/TAS20/RSE/RFQ) were administered to also analyze the prevalence - and correlations - with self-esteem, anxiety, depression, psychosomatic disorders. Results: Compared to the entire sample, 29% of individuals scored at high risk of emotional exhaustion, while 36% scored at moderate-high risk. Regarding depersonalization, the high risk was 18.7% while the moderate-high risk was 34.3%. In the personal accomplishment we obtained values lower than 38 points in 34.7% of the interviewees Discussion: The results highlight worrying levels of burnout in a pre-Pandemic situation, mainly related to long work shifts, conflicts with colleagues and poor career prospects. Policy policies are needed to combat burnout and prevent it.