A study carried out by IDIAPJGol concludes that the syndrome of professional burnout remained very high among Catalan specialists in family and community medicine three years after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The study, published in the European Journal of General Practice, analyzes data collected at three different times between 2021 and 2023. During this period, the number of professionals reporting physical and psychological exhaustion decreased, although it remained above 50% three years after the start of the pandemic. The highest figures were found among women and younger professionals. The study links this situation both to the working conditions caused by the health crisis and, more profoundly, to the sustained workload and long-standing structural deficits in primary care centers.

During the health crisis, primary care physicians took on new responsibilities, from epidemiological surveillance to remote patient monitoring. These new tasks, along with a hasty system reorganization and a heavy bureaucratic burden, intensified the emotional pressure on professionals. Despite the World Health Organization declaring the end of the health emergency in 2023, the healthcare system—especially primary care—still suffers from serious consequences reflected in professionals’ mental health.

MBI Questionnaire

To measure burnout, the research team used the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI), validated and adapted to the Spanish context, which assesses three dimensions: emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and lack of personal accomplishment. Results were categorized according to the cut-off points of the original methodology. The data were statistically analyzed to compare results across periods and sociodemographic groups and to detect significant differences.
The study was carried out in collaboration with the Catalan Society of Family Medicine (CAMFiC), which assisted in the sample selection. CAMFiC brings together around 80% of family medicine professionals in Catalonia.

Structural Solutions

Enric Aragonès, researcher at the Barcelona Research Support Unit of IDIAPJGol and coordinator of the study, states that “to reduce burnout cases in Primary Care, we must transform the structural conditions that cause it.” The paper highlights the responsibility of health authorities and scientific societies to implement concrete support strategies for professionals.

Article reference

Castellanos MM, Fernández-San-Martín MI, Rodríguez-Barragán M, Santos E Silva Caldeira Marques MT, Sisó A, Basora J, Aragonès E. Burnout among Catalan general practitioners. A repeated cross-sectional study, during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. Eur J Gen Pract. 2025 Dec;31(1):2485073. doi: 10.1080/13814788.2025.2485073. Epub 2025 Apr 10. PMID: 40208687; PMCID: PMC11986852.