Abstract
INTRODUCTION: Studies have demonstrated that individual and organizational factors contribute to burnout in health professionals. The COVID-19 pandemic increased demand for health care services, leading to work overload among health professionals, particularly physicians. OBJECTIVES: To determine the prevalence of burnout and identify possible individual, organizational, and sleep-related factors associated with burnout among physicians, before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional study on a subsample of 2,639 physicians extracted from a secondary database with health professionals from all regions of Brazil, between May and June 2020. Descriptive and inferential statistical analyses were performed. Burnout was assessed via the emotional exhaustion dimension. RESULTS: Data for 2,374 (90.3%) physicians were analyzed. The prevalence of burnout before the pandemic was 18.9%, increasing to 31.3% during the pandemic. The factors predicting burnout during the pandemic included age 25-39 years (odds ratio = 2.76; 95%CI 1.94-3.92), female sex (odds ratio = 1.67; 95%CI 1.34-2.08), working on the front line (odds ratio = 1.62; 95%CI 1.30-2.02), poor sleep quality and quantity (odds ratio = 6.39; 95%CI 4.99-8.17), and not working from home (odds ratio = 1.31; 95%CI 1.08-1.60). CONCLUSIONS: Compared to the work routine before the pandemic, there was a marked increase in the prevalence of burnout among physicians during the pandemic. Independent factors associated with this increase were young adult age, female sex, frontline work, poor sleep quality and quantity, and traditional on-site work.