Impact of the intersection of anaesthesia and gender on burnout and mental health, illustrated by the COVID‐19 pandemic

• Published in: Anaesthesia Vol. 76; no. S4; pp. 24 - 31
• Main Authors: Lorello, G. R., Gautam, M., Barned, C., Peer, M.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01-04-2021; John Wiley and Sons Inc
• Subjects: anaesthesia; Anesthesia; Anesthetists - psychology; Burnout; Burnout, Professional - etiology; COVID-19; COVID-19 - epidemiology; Female; Gender; gender equity; Humans; Male; Mental Health; Pandemics; Review; Risk analysis; Risk factors; SARS-CoV-2; Sex Characteristics; Special Issue: The importance of women’s health in peri‐operative care; women; Womens health; COVID-19; gender; mental health; burnout; gender equity; anaesthesia; women
• ISSN: 0003-2409; 1365-2044
• DOI: 10.1111/anae.15360

Summary
Physician burnout and poor mental health are prevalent and often stigmatised. Anaesthetists may be at particular risk and this is further increased for women anaesthetists due to biases and inequities within the specialty. However, gender‐related risk factors for and experiences of burnout and poor mental health remain under‐researched and under‐reported. This negatively impacts individual practitioners, the anaesthesia workforce and patients and carries significant financial implications. We discuss the impact of anaesthesia and gender on burnout and mental health using the COVID‐19 pandemic as an example illustrating how women and men differentially experience stressors and burnout. COVID‐19 has further accentuated the gendered effects of burnout and poor mental health on anaesthetists and brought further urgency to the need to address these issues. While both personal and organisational factors contribute to burnout and poor mental health, organisational changes that recognise and acknowledge inequities are pivotal to bolster physician mental health.