The Prevalence and Associated Factors of Job Burnout Among Medical Workers at COVID-19 Vaccination Sites: A Cross-Sectional Study

Background: During the pandemic period of the COVID-19, temporary centralized vaccination sites were set up in each administrative district in Nanjing to efficiently manage the vaccination campaign. Medical workers at COVID-19 vaccination sites are exposed to burnout syndrome due to repetitive and overload vaccination work. The purpose of our study was to investigate the prevalence of burnout among these medical workers and to explore its associated factors.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted at COVID-19 vaccination sites in May 2021 in Nanjing, China. The online questionnaire included demographic, job and COVID-19-related characteristics, Chinese Maslach Burnout Inventory, and Social Support Rating Scale. The hierarchical multiple regression model was used to identify the risk factors for job burnout of medical workers.

Results: Of the 425 respondents, 189 had job burnout. The overall prevalence of burnout symptoms among medical workers at COVID-19 vaccination sites was 44.5% with a breakdown in severity as follows: 122 (28.7%) mild, 53 (12.5%) moderate, and 14 (3.3%) severe cases. Hierarchical multiple linear regression analysis indicated that education level, job titles, self-reported increased work intensity, self-assessment risk of contracting COVID-19 during work, and social support were significantly related to job burnout (p < 0.05), which explained 28.2% of the variance of job burnout score (F = 14.879, p < 0.01).

Conclusion: The burnout symptoms were relatively common among medical workers at COVID-19 vaccination sites. More attention should be paid to medical workers with master degree or higher, junior job titles, increased work intensity, high risk of contracting COVID-19 during work, and low level of social support. Interventions that aim to reduce workload and increase social support can be effective approaches to prevent job burnout among medical workers during controlled COVID-19 period.