COVID-19 psychological impact in general practitioners: A longitudinal study

Introduction. - COVID-19 may have negatively impacted the mental health of front-line healthcare workers, including general practitioners (GPs). This study sought to assess the psychological impact (stress, burnout and self-efficacy) of the COVID-19 outbreak in French GPs. Methods. - We carried out a postal-based survey of all GPs who worked in the French region of Normandy (departments of Calvados, Manche and Orne) from the exhaustive database of the Union R & eacute;gionale des M & eacute;decins lib & eacute;raux (URML Normandie) as of 15th April 2020 (one month after the first French COVID19 sanitary lockdown). The second survey was conducted four months later. Four validated self-report questionnaires were used at both inclusion and follow-up: Perceived Stress scale (PSS), Impact of Event Scale-revised (IES-R), Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) and General Self-Efficacy scale (GSE). Demographic data were also collected. Results. - The sample consists of 351 GPs. At the follow-up, 182 answered the questionnaires (response rate: 51.8%). The mean scores of MBI significantly increased during follow-up [Emotional exhaustion (EE) and Personal accomplishment, P < 0.01]. Higher burnout symptoms were found at the 4-month follow-up in 64 (35.7%) and 86 (48.0%) participants (43 and 70 participant at baseline), according respectively to EE and depersonalisation scores ( P = 0.01 and 0.09, respectively). Conclusion. - This is the first longitudinal study that has shown the psychological impact of COVID-19 in French GPs. Based on validated a self-report questionnaire, burnout symptoms increased during followup. It is necessary to continue monitoring psychological difficulties of healthcare workers especially during consecutive waves of COVID-19 outbreak. (c) 2023 L'Enc & eacute;phale, Paris.