O-05 The Prevalence of Burnout, its Determinants and Coping Techniques used by healthcare-workers under the Tobago Regional Health Authority

Methods: This was a cross-sectional study of 102 doctors and nurses employed under the Tobago Regional Health Authority (TRHA). The Maslach Burnout Inventory, Pandemic Experiences and Perceptions Survey (PEPS) and the Brief Coping Orientation to Problems Experienced (COPE) were the measurement tools implemented through a selfadministered questionnaire hosted on the Google Forms online platform.

Results: The overall prevalence of burnout during the COVID-19 pandemic was 33.3%, with approximately 10% reporting severe levels of burnout. Lifestyle factors such as use of sleeping pills (p = 0.002) and time spent doing relaxing activities (p = 0.015) were found to have a statistically significant association with burnout. Use of sleeping pills was demonstrated to have increased odds of developing burnout (OR: 12.667; 95% CI: 2.359, 68.015) as compared to persons who did not use them. Acceptance and religion were the most utilized coping strategies. Participants taking 1-2 hours for relaxing activities had lowered odds of developing burnout (OR: 0.258; 95% CI: 0.085, 0.788) as compared to 1 hour. Behavioural disengagement was demonstrated to have a significant relationship with burnout (p < 0.001).

Conclusion: Burnout syndrome was a significant concern during the COVID-19 pandemic in the healthcare-workers serving under the Tobago Regional Health Authority. Organizational and individual measures are necessary to reduce negative outcomes to the affected staff and the patients they serve.