A study conducted by researchers from Universidad San Francisco de Quito and Johns Hopkins University has revealed critical insights into the mental health of health care providers in Ecuador during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Published in the journal Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness, this research examines the balance between compassion satisfaction, burnout, and secondary traumatic stress among health care professionals working in public institutions across Ecuador, a low- and middle-income country.

The study surveyed 2,873 health care providers from 111 public institutions across 23 provinces in Ecuador between February and July 2022.

Using the Professional Quality of Life Scale Version-5 (ProQOL V5), researchers assessed self-reported levels of compassion satisfaction, burnout, and secondary traumatic stress.

Key findings include high compassion satisfaction (84.9%), moderate burnout (57.1%, higher in the Amazon), and moderate secondary traumatic stress (59.6%), which correlated with burnout levels.

The study also highlighted significant differences based on gender, professional roles, and geographic regions. Male health care providers exhibited slightly higher burnout levels than their female counterparts, while physicians reported the highest burnout rates compared to other professions such as nurses and first responders.

“These findings underscore the urgent need for targeted mental health policies and interventions to support health care providers in low- and middle-income countries like Ecuador,” said Dr. Michelle Grunauer, lead author.

“Despite high levels of compassion satisfaction, many professionals are grappling with moderate burnout and secondary traumatic stress, which can impact both their well-being and the quality of care they provide.”

The research calls for additional studies to explore factors contributing to burnout in resource-constrained settings and emphasizes the importance of developing mental health legislation tailored to the needs of health care providers in Ecuador and similar countries.

Provided by
Society for Disaster Medicine and Public Health