Mihai-Bujor Grecu

The field of emergency medicine (EM) is a high-stress medical specialty. We aim to comparatively investigate burnout, work addiction, and stress-related growth between EM physicians and EM residents. Our sample consists of 117 EM professionals, 41 physicians and 76 residents, from 5 out of the 12 EM county departments in Romania that run residency programs. Methods: An online survey was sent to 461 EM professionals (170 physicians and 291 residents), with a response rate of 25.4%. The survey comprised two sections: the first focused on sociodemographic and professional data, with the second consisting of six validated assessment instruments: the Oldenburg Burnout Inventory, Dutch Work Addiction Scale—short version, Stress-Related Growth Scale, Responsive Distress Scale, Self-Discipline Scale, and Zuckerman–Kuhlman Personality Questionnaire. Both EM physicians and residents reported moderate to high levels of burnout, disengagement, and exhaustion, but there was no significant difference between them. However, physicians exhibited significantly higher levels of work addiction, excessive work, compulsive work, and stress-related growth. No significant differences were found in compulsive work behaviors. Conclusions: Burnout levels are comparable between EM physicians and residents. However, physicians demonstrate higher work addiction but also higher stress-related growth. Personality variables and sleep duration appear to be more influential in predicting burnout than in work addiction or stress-related growth.

Burnout and stress-related issues are significant concerns among medical personnel involved in emergency situations due to the high demands of their work. A cross-sectional descriptive and comparative study was conducted on 266 prehospital emergency personnel across five Romanian counties, comprising 41 physicians, 74 nurses, and 151 paramedics. Data were collected through an online form, including demographic and professional characteristics, and five validated scales. This study revealed moderate (49.3%) to high (25.9%) burnout rates, with 35% showing signs of work addiction. Despite these challenges, the personnel demonstrated high levels of stress-related growth (61.2%), strong self-discipline (74.1%), and low to moderate responsive distress (100%). Physicians exhibited higher work addiction and job satisfaction, whereas paramedics faced higher burnout, self-discipline, and distress levels. Nurses showed lower burnout and self-discipline levels. These findings highlight the prevalence of burnout and work addiction among emergency medical personnel, while also underscoring the presence of protective factors like higher self-discipline, good level of stress-related growth, and low to moderate responsive distress. The distinct differences in experiences among physicians, nurses, and paramedics emphasize the need for tailored strategies to address these issues within each group.

Objective: The aim of the performed study was to investigate the traumatic health effects in patients received at the emergency service due to a storm event that happened on the 17th of September 2017 in Timisoara. Material of study consisted of a sample of 75 patients (62.67% males, 37.33% females) who came to the emergency service of the County Hospital with traumatic health effects. The method was an observational case-study with an investigation of traumatic health effects. Results: Traumatic health effects due to the storm were caused by patients falling (51.78% of diagnostics: fractures, contusions, sprains) and by being hit by flying objects (42.85% of diagnostics: craniocerebral traumatisms and contusive wounds). The patients were either sent home (54.66%), admitted (25.34%) and hospitalized (13.33% more than 10 days) or transferred (12%). Conclusion: Traumatic health effects due to the storm were severe and involved substantial recovery time and considerable expense of resources.