Before and During the First COVID-19 Surge: Work Conditions, Burnout, and Mental Health Among Resident Physicians in a Department of Psychiatry in the USA.

OBJECTIVE: Resident physicians are critical frontline workers during pandemics, and little is known about their health. The study examined occupational and mental health risks among US psychiatry residents before and during the first COVID-19 surge. METHODS: Longitudinal data were collected from a cohort of US psychiatry residents at one academic medical center in October 2019, before the pandemic, and April 2020 after the initiation of a state-level stay-at-home order. Primary outcome measures were psychological work empowerment, defined as one's self-efficacy towards their work role, and occupational burnout. A secondary outcome was mental health. In May and June 2020, resident engagement sessions were conducted to disseminate study findings and consider their implications. RESULTS: Fifty-seven out of 59 eligible residents participated in the study (97%). Half the study sample reported high burnout. From before to during the first COVID-19 surge, psychological work empowerment increased in the total sample (p = 0.03); and mental health worsened among junior residents (p = 0.004), not senior residents (p = 0.12). High emotional exhaustion and depersonalization were associated with worse mental health (p < 0.001). In engagement sessions, themes related to residents' work conditions, COVID-19, and racism emerged as potential explanations for survey findings. CONCLUSIONS: The study is exploratory and novel. During early COVID, psychiatry residents' well-being was impacted by occupational and societal factors. Postpandemic, there is a growing psychiatrist shortage and high demand for mental health services. The findings highlight the potential importance of physician wellness interventions focused on early career psychiatrists who were first responders during COVID.

Hiponatremia y traumatismo craneoencefálico, una asociación importante. Reporte de caso / Hyponatremia and traumatic brain injury, an important association. Case report

Introducción: La hiponatremia se encuentra asociada aproximadamente con el 10% de los pacientes con traumatismo craneoencefálico, su baja frecuencia y la intuición clínica de esta relación la hace importante en el presente informe de caso. Objetivo: Describir la asociación de la hiponatremia con el traumatismo craneoen-cefálico con la finalidad de mejorar la comprensión de esta relación en el personal de salud y promover la implementación de estrategias de diagnóstico y manejo más efectivas basadas en predicciones bioquímicas y anatómicas actualizadas. Presentación del caso: Paciente masculino, adulto joven, con antecedentes de dos traumatismos craneoencefálicos, con hiponatremia sérica severa y síntomas persistentes de mareo y cefalea, tratado con diuréticos de asa y cloruro de sodio vía oral, con mejoría posterior al vigésimo día de hospitalización. Discusión: Ciertas alteraciones neurológicas con manifestación clínica evidente, se presentan por bajos niveles de sodio sérico, o por causas anatómicas y fisioló-gicas diferentes. Se ha demostrado una relación causal con mecanismo fisiopato-lógico no bien descrito sobre la hiponatremia y el traumatismo craneoencefálico. Conclusión: Es crucial tener una vigilancia meticulosa en pacientes con hipona-tremia severa, aunque presenten pocos síntomas clínicos (considerando antece-dentes como el traumatismo craneoencefálico en la anamnesis inicial y de segui-miento) como en este caso. Además, se destaca la necesidad de investigar las vías metabólicas que podrían verse afectadas por traumatismos craneoencefálicos, y que podrían tener un impacto directo en los niveles de sodio en sangre.

Introduction: Hyponatremia is found to be associated with approximately 10% of patients with traumatic brain injury. Despite its low frequency, the clinical intuition regarding this relationship underscores its significance in this case report. Objective: Describe the association between hyponatremia and traumatic brain in-jury, aiming to enhance healthcare professionals' understanding of this correlation and to advocate for the implementation of more effective diagnostic and manage-ment strategies based on updated biochemical and anatomical predictions. Case Presentation: A young adult male patient with a history of two traumatic brain injuries, severe serum hyponatremia, and persistent symptoms of dizziness and headache, treated with loop diuretics and oral sodium chloride, exhibited improvement after twenty days of hospitalization. Discussion: Certain neurological alterations with evident clinical manifestation are characterized by low levels of serum sodium, possibly stemming from distinct ana-tomical and physiological causes. A causal relationship with a poorly described pathophysiological mechanism between hyponatremia and traumatic brain injury has been suggested. Conclusion: Meticulous monitoring is imperative for patients with severe hypona-tremia, even when clinical symptoms are minimal, as observed in this case. Fur-thermore, emphasis is placed on the need to investigate metabolic pathways that may be affected by traumatic brain injuries, potentially exerting a direct impact on blood sodium levels.