ArticlePloS one2020
Factors contributing to healthcare professional burnout during the COVID-19 pandemic: A rapid turnaround global survey.
Article in PloS one, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 301 papers, 8 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
301 citing papers in PubMed, 8 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 550 citations in OpenAlex.
- Occupational burnout and risk of suicidality in healthcare professionals: a PRISMA-guided systematic review.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2026Pooled it
- Cultural Differences in the Relationship Between Negative Leadership Behaviours and Nurses' Emotional Exhaustion: A Systematic Review.Journal of nursing management · 2026Pooled it
- Organizational interventions to support and promote the mental health of healthcare workers during pandemics and epidemics: a systematic review.BMC health services research · 2025Pooled it
- Burnout scales used in healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic and their psychometric properties: a systematic review.Frontiers in public health · 2025Pooled it
- Interventions to reduce burnout among clinical nurses: systematic review and meta-analysis.Scientific reports · 2023Pooled it
- Burnout in residents during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2023Pooled it
- The Work Environment during Coronavirus Epidemics and Pandemics: A Systematic Review of Studies Using Quantitative, Qualitative, and Mixed-Methods Designs.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Pooled it
- Burnout among primary health-care professionals in low- and middle-income countries: systematic review and meta-analysis.Bulletin of the World Health Organization · 2022Pooled it
- Feasibility of a tailored, combined intervention with mind-body elements to prevent burnout in healthcare professionals (LAGOM) in a mixed-methods multicenter single-arm trial.Scientific reports · 2025Trial
- Mobile Mindfulness for Psychological Distress and Burnout among Frontline COVID-19 Nurses: A Pilot Randomized Trial.Annals of the American Thoracic Society · 2023Trial
- A Smartphone App to Reduce Burnout in the Emergency Department: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial.Workplace health & safety · 2023Trial
- Implementation of a Web-Based Resilience Enhancement Training for Nurses: Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial.Journal of medical Internet research · 2023Trial
- Evaluation of electronic recruitment efforts of primary care providers as research subjects during the COVID-19 pandemic.BMC primary care · 2022Trial
- Article
- Perceived Healthcare Service Quality of Patients in the Post COVID-19 Pandemic: A Cross-Sectional Study at a Public District Hospital in Vietnam.Health science reports · 2026Article
- Burnout among healthcare professionals in Bangladesh: a narrative review.Discover mental health · 2026Review
- Psychosocial Impact of COVID-19 on Intensive Care Unit Personnel: A Repeated Cross-Sectional Survey Assessment Before, During, and After the First Peak.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Factors That Influence Burnout of Clinical and Research Faculty: New Insights of Data from a United States Cancer Center Using CART Analysis.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Resilience as a Mediator Between Burnout and Health Among Nurses During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Cross-Sectional Survey in Late 2021.Nursing open · 2026Observational
- Vaccines as a psychological shield: the role of vaccine acceptance in mitigating COVID-19 obsession, burnout, and death anxiety among medical personnel.BMC health services research · 2026Article
241 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
- Update of
Authors and funding
12 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundHealthcare professionals (HCPs) on the front lines against COVID-19 may face increased workload and stress. Understanding HCPs' risk for burnout is critical to supporting HCPs and maintaining the quality of healthcare during the pandemic.
methodsTo assess exposure, perceptions, workload, and possible burnout of HCPs during the COVID-19 pandemic we conducted a cross-sectional survey. The main outcomes and measures were HCPs' self-assessment of burnout, indicated by a single item measure of emotional exhaustion, and other experiences and attitudes associated with working during the COVID-19 pandemic.
findingsA total of 2,707 HCPs from 60 countries participated in this study. Fifty-one percent of HCPs reported burnout. Burnout was associated with work impacting household activities (RR = 1·57, 95% CI = 1·39-1·78, P<0·001), feeling pushed beyond training (RR = 1·32, 95% CI = 1·20-1·47, P<0·001), exposure to COVID-19 patients (RR = 1·18, 95% CI = 1·05-1·32, P = 0·005), and making life prioritizing decisions (RR = 1·16, 95% CI = 1·02-1·31, P = 0·03). Adequate personal protective equipment (PPE) was protective against burnout (RR = 0·88, 95% CI = 0·79-0·97, P = 0·01). Burnout was higher in high-income countries (HICs) compared to low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) (RR = 1·18; 95% CI = 1·02-1·36, P = 0·018).
interpretationBurnout is present at higher than previously reported rates among HCPs working during the COVID-19 pandemic and is related to high workload, job stress, and time pressure, and limited organizational support. Current and future burnout among HCPs could be mitigated by actions from healthcare institutions and other governmental and non-governmental stakeholders aimed at potentially modifiable factors, including providing additional training, organizational support, and support for family, PPE, and mental health resources.
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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.