Burnout syndrome is characterized by fatigue, cynicism toward work, and reduced productivity. Staff members who score high on burnout measures but continue working are considered to have non-clinical burnout (NCB). This covers the early phases in which burnout symptoms (BNS) occur, but have not reached a level that requires taking leave. The present research sought to determine the influence of BNS on attentional abilities among healthcare workers (HCWs) in a COVID-19-designated hospital during the ongoing pandemic. Researchers used the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) to evaluate the three core aspects of burnout. Attention was measured through the Continuous Visual Attention Test (CVAT), which analyzed four distinct subdomains. All participants were assigned to one of two categories depending on MBI results: a control group and an NCB group. Thirteen individuals from the control group were matched to 13 NCB participants by age, gender, and professional HCW role. The overall sample (n = 26; 65% male) comprised 11 physicians and 15 nurses, with a mean age of 35.3 years (SD = 5.47). Individuals in the NCB group exhibited noticeably higher impulsivity than those in the control group. The remaining attention subdomains revealed no important differences between the groups. Strong links were observed between impulsivity and all burnout dimensions, with elevated absolute BNS scores associated with greater impulsivity. In conclusion, NCB impairs executive attention.
