Facing Pandemic: Burnout in Nurses in Turkey.

OBJECTIVE: Burnout syndrome is a disorder that characterized by emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and personal lack of accomplishment perception and it is common in nurses. During the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic, nurses tried to take care of their patients and protect themselves and their families from disease and death. This study examines the factors affecting nurses' burnout in Turkey during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Data were collected from 3523 nurses in 69 cities across Turkey by sociodemographic questions and Maslach Burnout Scale with the electronic questionnaire created in the "SurveyMonkey" application between June 9, 2020 and June 21, 2020. To assess the impact of the pandemic on nurses' burnout, nurses were categorized as those working in pandemic units and others. RESULTS: The response rate was 68%, and 3523 nurses from 69 cities across Turkey participated in the survey. Analyses were conducted with 2386 nurses that answered all questions. 76.45% of the nurses were from tertiary hospitals, and 54.9% (n = 1309) worked in pandemic units. Of 2386 participants, 86.13% (n = 2055) were female, the mean age was 33.9 (±8.43), and 58.76% (n = 1402) were married. Of 2386 participants, 54.9% (n = 1309) worked in pandemic units (outpatient clinics, inpatient clinics, and intensive care units). In multivariate linear regression analyses, the emotional exhaustion score was higher in nurses working in pandemic units (P < .05). CONCLUSION: The factors that have been shown to cause burnout in previous studies were similar. However, in this study, it was also seen that the pandemic is a fundamental cause of burnout.

How were Non-COVID pulmonary patients and diseases affected from COVID-19 pandemic period?

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to focus on non-COVID-19 patients during the process when all physicians focused on COVID-19 patients. Patients with pulmonary diseases in the COVID-19 pandemic period were analyzed. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Non-COVID-19 cases who were hospitalized in the pulmonology clinic, outpatients, and patients who applied to the non-COVID-19 emergency service and requested a pulmonology consultation in the period from March 16, 2020 to May 15, 2020 and in the same period of the previous year (i.e., from March 16, 2019 to May 15, 2019) were included in this study. RESULTS: In the pandemic period, it was found that there was an 84% decrease in outpatient admissions, a 43% decrease in inpatients, and a 75% decrease in emergency services. During the pandemic period, in outpatient setting, male and younger case admissions increased, admissions with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and interstitial lung diseases decreased, whereas the frequency of admission to asthma, pneumonia, and pulmonary thromboembolism increased. In the period of the pandemic, patients with asthma, COPD, and lung cancer were less hospitalized, whereas patients with pulmonary thromboembolism, pneumonia, and pleural effusion were hospitalized more. In non-COVID-19 patient treatments during the pandemic period, usage of a metered dose inhaler increased. CONCLUSION: During the COVID-19 pandemic, non-COVID pulmonary pathologies decreased significantly, and there was a change in the profile of the patients. From now on, to be prepared for pandemic and similar extraordinary situations, to organize hospitals for the epidemic, to determine health institutions to which nonepidemic patients can apply, to make necessary plans in order not to neglect the nonepidemic patients, and to develop digital health service methods, especially telemedicine, would be appropriate.