Risk of Healthcare Worker Burnout in Africa during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

COVID-19 is now impacting every country in Africa and healthcare workers (HCWs) across the continent remain susceptible to professional burnout. We designed a 43-question survey addressing multiple aspects of the COVID-19 pandemic. The survey was anonymous, distributed via email and phone messaging to 13 countries in Africa. We obtained 489 analyzable responses. 49% off HCWs reported a decrease in income, with the majority experiencing between 1–25% salary reduction. Sixty-six percent reported some access to personal protective equipment (PPE), 20% had no access to PPE and only 14% reported proper access. Strikingly, the percentage reporting never feeling depressed changed from 61% before the pandemic to 31% during the pandemic, with an increase in daily depression from 2% to 20%. We found no association between depression and change in income, household size, availability of PPE or lockdown. Safety concerns related to stigma from being HCWs affected 56% of respondents.