How can we support healthcare workers to avoid burnout?

By placing enormous pressure on healthcare workers, the COVID-19 pandemic has put doctors, nurses and hospital staff at the risk of developing psychological problems (burnout, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder).

The Politecnico di Milano, in collaboration with the psychologists at the Università degli Studi di Milano and the Istituti Clinici Maugeri, has carried out in-dept analysis of the answers given in a questionnaire handed out to Italian healthcare workers during the first wave of the pandemic (April-May 2020).

The data gathered, regarding socio-demographics, lifestyle, working conditions, COVID-19-related health conditions and psychological indicators, were subsequently analysed using innovative data science methods that enabled different risk profiles to be associated with the various subgroups into which the sample was divided.

Published in the prestigious Journal of Biomedical Informatics, this study forms a basis for the implementation of self-diagnosis apps specifically for healthcare workers subjected to high-risk conditions that allow personalised psychological measures to be taken during pandemic situations.

Enrico Caiani and Emanuele Tauro, Department of Electronics, Information and Bioengineering at Politecnico di Milano, are two of the authors of this article.