High Exhaustion in Geriatric Healthcare Professionals During the COVID-19 Second Lockdown.

El Haj, Mohamad; Allain, Philippe; Annweiler, Cédric; Boutoleau-Bretonnière, Claire; Chapelet, Guillaume; Gallouj, Karim; Kapogiannis, Dimitrios; Roche, Jean; Boudoukha, Abdel Halim

BACKGROUND In a previous study, we assessed burnout in geriatric healthcare workers during the first lockdown that lasted from March to May 2020 in France, in response to the COVID-19 crisis. OBJECTIVE We carried out a follow-up study to assess burnout in the same population during the second lockdown that was implemented at the end of October 2020. METHODS We used an online survey to assess burnout in terms of exhaustion and disengagement in a sample of 58 geriatric healthcare workers. RESULTS We found higher levels of exhaustion, disengagement, and burnout among geriatric healthcare workers during the second than during the first lockdown. We also found high levels of exhaustion but moderate disengagement and burnout during the second lockdown. CONCLUSION The increased exhaustion, disengagement, and burnout during the second lockdown can be attributed to the increased workload in geriatric facilities throughout this crisis and during the second lockdown due to shortage in staff and increased number of shifts and allocated duties. The high levels of exhaustion reported among geriatric healthcare workers during the second lockdown can reflect their physical fatigue, as well as their feelings of being emotionally overextended and exhausted by their workload.