The disruption of elective procedures due to COVID‑19 in Brazil in 2020

Elective procedures were temporarily suspended several times over the course of the pandemic of COVID-19. Monthly data from the Unifed Health System (SUS) were used for the period between January 2008 and December 2020 and the interrupted time series method was used to estimate the efect of the pandemic on the number of elective surgeries and elective procedures that were not performed. Considering a 9-month period, a reduction of 46% in the number of elective procedures carried out in the SUS could be attributed to COVID-19, corresponding to about 828,429 elective procedures cancelled, ranging from 549,921 to 1,106,936. To a full recovery of pre-pandemic performance, SUS would need to increase about 21,362 hospital beds, ranging from 12,370 to 36,392 hospital beds during a 6 month-period. This efort would represent an increase of 8.48% (ranging from 4.91 to 14.45%) in relation to the total number of SUS’s hospital beds in 2019. As a result, the pandemic will leave a large number of elective procedures to be carried out, which will require eforts by health agencies to meet this demand

Mental health and burnout syndrome among postgraduate students in medical and multidisciplinary residencies during the COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil : protocol for a prospective cohort study

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has led to high levels of physical, psychological, and social stress among health care professionals, including postgraduate students in medical and multidisciplinary residencies. This stress is associated with the intense fear of occupational exposure to SARS-CoV-2, the virus known to cause COVID-19. These professionals are at risk of developing physical and mental illnesses not only due to the infection but also due to prolonged exposure to multidimensional stress and continued work overload. Objective: This study aims to evaluate the prevalence of symptoms suggestive of mental disorders and burnout syndrome and determine the risk factors for burnout among postgraduate students in medical and multidisciplinary residencies in Brazil during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: For this prospective cohort study with parallel groups, participants were recruited between July and September 2020 to achieve a sample size of at least 1144 participants. Research instruments such as Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale; Patient Health Questionnaire; Brief Resilient Coping Scale; and Oldenburg Burnout Inventory will be used to collect data. Data will be collected in 2 waves: the first wave will include data related to sample characterization and psychosocial evaluation, and the second wave will be launched 12 weeks later and will include an evaluation of the incidence of burnout as well as correlations with the potential predictive factors collected in the first wave. Additionally, we will collect data regarding participants’ withdrawal from work. Results: The recruitment took place from July 29 to September 5, 2020. Data analyses for this phase is already in progress. The second phase of the study is also in progress. The final data collection began on December 1, 2020, and it will be completed by December 31, 2020. Conclusions: We believe the findings of this study will help evaluate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health conditions of health professionals in Brazil as well as contribute to the planning and implementation of appropriate measures that can alleviate these mental health challenges. International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID): DERR1-10.2196/2429

General characteristics of the study population.

General characteristics of the study population.</p

Multivariate logistic regression analysis of predictors associated with burnout (OLBI) among health residents.

Multivariate logistic regression analysis of predictors associated with burnout (OLBI) among health residents.</p

Differences between genders regarding the various variables studied.

Differences between genders regarding the various variables studied.</p

S1 File -

(PDF)</p

Association between burnout (OLBI) and various characteristics of the participants—bivariate analyses (not adjusted).

Association between burnout (OLBI) and various characteristics of the participants—bivariate analyses (not adjusted).</p

S1 Data -

(XLSX)</p

Differences between medical residents and nonmedical residents regarding the various characteristics studied—bivariate analyses (unadjusted).

Differences between medical residents and nonmedical residents regarding the various characteristics studied—bivariate analyses (unadjusted).</p