Stress and burnout in health care workers during COVID-19 pandemic: validation of a questionnaire

Aim To validate a questionnaire to assess stress and burnout in healthcare workers during COVID-19 pandemic. Subjects and methods In this study, content validity, Cronbach's alpha, and test-retest reliability method were utilized among 60 HCWs to evaluate the validity, internal consistency, and reliability of the questionnaire respectively. The final questionnaire was composed of four parts asking for the background information, questions about the stress caused by the COVID-19, the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale - 21 (DASS-21), and six questions from the Copenhagen Burnout Inventory (CBI). Results The CVR of 46 questions was equal to 1, making them acceptably valid (CVR > 0.78), so that the items could be arranged into a final questionnaire. Moreover, all items could successfully attain CVI values above 0.79, confirming the content validity of the questionnaire. The Cronbach's alpha was between 0.80-0.95 for different sections of questionaire, confirming the stable reliability and high repeatability of the questionnaire. Conclusion The results of this study showed that the DASS-21 offers adequate levels of validity and reliability for assessing the stress, anxiety, and depression among the HCWs engaged with the COVID-19 pandemic. Moreover, the six items adapted from the Copenhagen burnout inventory (CBI) were found to provide a good instrument for investigating the job burnout among the HCWs at Masih Daneshvari Hospital during the outbreak of the COVID-19 epidemic.

Automated summary

The aim of this study was to validate a questionnaire for assessing stress and burnout in healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. The questionnaire showed satisfactory levels of validity and reliability in measuring stress, anxiety, depression, and job burnout among healthcare workers. This study provides important insights into the mental well-being of healthcare workers during the COVID-19 outbreak.