Burnout among surgeons before and during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic: an international survey

Background: SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has had many significant impacts within the surgical realm, and surgeons have been obligated to reconsider almost every aspect of daily clinical practice. Methods: This is a cross-sectional study reported in compliance with the CHERRIES guidelines and conducted through an online platform from June 14th to July 15th, 2020. The primary outcome was the burden of burnout during the pandemic indicated by the validated Shirom-Melamed Burnout Measure. Results: Nine hundred fifty-four surgeons completed the survey. The median length of practice was 10 years; 78.2% included were male with a median age of 37 years old, 39.5% were consultants, 68.9% were general surgeons, and 55.7% were affiliated with an academic institution. Overall, there was a significant increase in the mean burnout score during the pandemic; longer years of practice and older age were significantly associated with less burnout. There were significant reductions in the median number of outpatient visits, operated cases, on-call hours, emergency visits, and research work, so, 48.2% of respondents felt that the training resources were insufficient. The majority (81.3%) of respondents reported that their hospitals were included in the management of COVID-19, 66.5% felt their roles had been minimized; 41% were asked to assist in non-surgical medical practices, and 37.6% of respondents were included in COVID-19 management. Conclusions: There was a significant burnout among trainees. Almost all aspects of clinical and research activities were affected with a significant reduction in the volume of research, outpatient clinic visits, surgical procedures, on-call hours, and emergency cases hindering the training. Trial registration: The study was registered on clicaltrials.gov "NCT04433286" on 16/06/2020

Quality of life in Arab children with congenital heart disease.

Background and purposeManagement strategies for children with congenital health diseases (CHDs) should encompass more than just the medical aspect of the disease and consider how heart diseases affect their everyday activities and, subsequently, their quality of life (QoL). Global studies witnessed a greater emphasis on studying the QoL associated with CHD. However, there is still a great lag in such data in the Arab region. The purpose of this study was to evaluate QoL in children with CHD using an Arab sample from Jordan. The specific objectives were twofold: (1) to contrast the assessments of children's QoL reported by their parents with those reported by the children themselves, and (2) to assess the factors that influence the QoL of children with CHD.MethodsA total of 79 children aged 2-18 with a confirmed diagnosis of CHD were included in the study, along with their mothers. Of them, 38.0% were girls, 67.1% were diagnosed with non-cyanotic CHD, 58.2% had a severe CHD, 92.4% had undergone at least one operation, 81.0% had repaired defects, 13.9% underwent palliated procedures, and 24.1% were admitted to a neonatal intensive care unit after delivery. The Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory was used to assess QoL of children with CHD. Both children's and parents' reports of QoL were analyzed using paired-sample t-tests, ANOVAs, and multiple linear regression.ResultsOlder children reported significantly lower QoL scores, whereas there were no differences in parents-reported QoL scores across different children age groups. There was a divergence in perceptions of QoL between parents-reported and children-reported scores with parents reporting significantly lower scores. The children-reported QoL in this study seemed to be significantly associated with their gender, age, and the presence of learning difficulties, whereas the parent-reported QoL was only associated with the presence of learning difficulties.ConclusionsResponses from both children and parents need to be considered to understand the similarities and differences between them and to provide further insight into the optimal way to help children with CHD effectively navigate the transition into adulthood. Future research studies of outcomes for survivors of children with CHD are needed to identify high-risk survivors for worse psychosocial functioning and assess prevention measures and treatment interventions to improve their QoL

Participants’ characteristics (N = 79).

Background and purposeManagement strategies for children with congenital health diseases (CHDs) should encompass more than just the medical aspect of the disease and consider how heart diseases affect their everyday activities and, subsequently, their quality of life (QoL). Global studies witnessed a greater emphasis on studying the QoL associated with CHD. However, there is still a great lag in such data in the Arab region. The purpose of this study was to evaluate QoL in children with CHD using an Arab sample from Jordan. The specific objectives were twofold: (1) to contrast the assessments of children’s QoL reported by their parents with those reported by the children themselves, and (2) to assess the factors that influence the QoL of children with CHD.MethodsA total of 79 children aged 2–18 with a confirmed diagnosis of CHD were included in the study, along with their mothers. Of them, 38.0% were girls, 67.1% were diagnosed with non-cyanotic CHD, 58.2% had a severe CHD, 92.4% had undergone at least one operation, 81.0% had repaired defects, 13.9% underwent palliated procedures, and 24.1% were admitted to a neonatal intensive care unit after delivery. The Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory was used to assess QoL of children with CHD. Both children’s and parents’ reports of QoL were analyzed using paired-sample t-tests, ANOVAs, and multiple linear regression.ResultsOlder children reported significantly lower QoL scores, whereas there were no differences in parents-reported QoL scores across different children age groups. There was a divergence in perceptions of QoL between parents-reported and children-reported scores with parents reporting significantly lower scores. The children-reported QoL in this study seemed to be significantly associated with their gender, age, and the presence of learning difficulties, whereas the parent-reported QoL was only associated with the presence of learning difficulties.ConclusionsResponses from both children and parents need to be considered to understand the similarities and differences between them and to provide further insight into the optimal way to help children with CHD effectively navigate the transition into adulthood. Future research studies of outcomes for survivors of children with CHD are needed to identify high-risk survivors for worse psychosocial functioning and assess prevention measures and treatment interventions to improve their QoL.</div

Mean (M), standard deviation (SD), and Cronbach’s alpha (α) of QoL scores by age group (N = 79).

Mean (M), standard deviation (SD), and Cronbach’s alpha (α) of QoL scores by age group (N = 79).</p

Estimated determinants of QoL from regression analysis.

Estimated determinants of QoL from regression analysis.</p

Self-reported and Parent-reported QoL scores for children with CHD.

Self-reported and Parent-reported QoL scores for children with CHD.</p