Journal of Medical Imaging and Radiation Sciences 54 (2023) S115–S116
www.elsevier.com/locate/jmir
Letter to the Editor
Mental wellbeing among radiology professionals. Challenges,
Resilience, and Strengths
Dear Editor,
The last few years have represented real challenges in the
mental health of health workers. In this sense, burnout stands
out as a problem that afflicts healthcare providers around the
world [1].
The World Health Organization (WHO) defines burnout
as a syndrome caused by chronic stress in the workplace, which
is not managed successfully and which is expressed through the
sensation of loss of energy or fatigue, pessimism about work as
well as a reduction in professional efficacy [2].
The members of the radiology service are not the exception
to the psychological burden of medical care, which in emergent
situations can be overcome. The COVID-19 pandemic is an
example of how the psyche can be negatively affected in radio-
diagnosis services, highlighting, for example, the fear of conta-
gion itself or that of loved ones or the fear of isolation. Factors
that have been shown to have a strong influence on work and
training performance [3].
In addition to the suspicions regarding personal and physical
protection involved in handling patients and radiological expo-
sure, some have to do with meeting financial needs, and that has
an unquestionable influence on the psychological well-being of
workers [4].
The capacity for resilience that workers have been able
to develop autonomously despite difficulties is remarkable,
and it accounts for the inherent strength of human beings to
face adversity. However, silently, those critical issues related
to psychological well-being run the risk of lacking sufficient
public and institutional consideration. Therefore, it is of the
utmost importance that the psychological impact of burnout
in both normal and emergent situations are recognized and
treated promptly and pragmatically.
It is essential that at the institutional level, plans be es-
tablished to mitigate the psychological effects of work over-
load. Emotional intelligence workshops that provided skills and
strategies to navigate through uncertainty, stress reduction tech-
niques, and meditation, among others, have shown beneficial
effects in this regard [5].
Along with the aforementioned measures, public opinion
must be echoed that more than workers, those behind each ma-
1939-8654/$ - see front matter © 2022 Published by Elsevier Inc. on behalf of Canadian Association of Medical Radiation Technologists.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jmir.2022.12.007
chine, procedure, and diagnosis are human beings with emo-
tional needs that require care and consideration. The dissemi-
nation of this reflection can have positive and lasting effects.
To conclude, we leave a message of optimism by emphasiz-
ing the strengths and learning that can be extracted from the
difficulties and we encourage radiology professionals to remain
attentive and motivated in achieving care for their mental well-
being.
Declaration of interests
The Authors of this article declare that they have no conflicts
of interest of any kind and this work does not have any source
of financing.
Diego Sebastián Andrade Mora∗
Central University of Ecuador, Quito, Ecuador
Stalin Santiago Celi Simbaña
Medical Specialties Center “Comité del Pueblo” Ecuadorian
Institute of Social Security, Quito, Ecuador
Katherine Patricia Celi Simbaña
Indoamerica University, Faculty of Health Sciences, Quito,
Ecuador
∗
Corresponding author at: Iquique N14-121 and Sodiro.
170136 Quito-Ecuador.
E-mail address: diegoandrade19901@hotmail.com (D.S.
Andrade Mora)
References
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[2] Organization WH. Burn-out an "occupational phenomenon": interna-
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[3] Robbins JB, England E, Patel MD, DeBenedectis CM, Sarkany DS,
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S116 Letter to the Editor / Journal of Medical Imaging and Radiation Sciences 54 (2023) S115–S116