The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that there will be a shortage of > 18 million healthcare providers (HCPs) by 2030. More than five million HCPs care for intensive care unit (ICU) patients throughout Europe. Shortage of ICU-nurses is not a new phenomenon, but has widely been exacerbated by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. With increasingly depleted workforces across healthcare systems, averting nurses and physicians’ shortage is the only way to secure timely, quality, and accessible healthcare to European populations. Clinician’s turnover is mostly driven by the presence of mental health symptoms, mainly, burnout. Burnout is a state of emotional, physical, and mental exhaustion caused by excessive and prolonged stress. It occurs when people feel overwhelmed, emotionally drained, and unable to meet constant demands. Among medical specialties, ICU clinicians are among the most affected by burnout syndrome (BOS).
Burnout is therefore not a sudden onset of symptoms. Affected people have thoughts, feelings and actions that progress through a series of stages, leaving opportunities for prevention. Understanding the different stages of burnout (honeymoon phase, onset of stress, chronic stress and burnout, Fig. 1) is crucial as to work towards preventing it.
Fig. 1.
Burnout, a preventable disease
Author contributions
This original drawing has been designed by OL and by EA. Of note, OL is the CEO of a company of medical drawing, but this contribution is not commercial and purely educational.
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