A CDC study was just released confirming what we already knew: healthcare workers are experiencing burnout. Healthcare workers have high rates of depression and anxiety, and many are choosing to turn their backs on the field. The study found that from 2018 to 2022 the percentage of workers who experienced burnout rose from 11.6% to 19%, and the average number of poor mental health days in a month rose from 3.3 days to 4.5 days.
While these trends were clear before the pandemic began, the Covid-19 crisis greatly exacerbated the problem. The study says that “U.S. health workers experienced a 249% increase in rates of work-related injury and illness between 2019 and 2020.” The study goes on to say that in 2022 the number of healthcare workers who said they very likely intended to find another job increased by almost 50%. We are currently in a vicious cycle where burnt out providers are leaving the profession, forcing those who remain to deal with even longer hours and more stressful shifts due to understaffing.
Some factors in this burnout cannot be avoided. An overwhelming influx of sick patients might not be able to be predicted. But there are still things that could be done to improve conditions for healthcare employees. Ideally, more staff would be hired so that shifts can be shorter and workloads more manageable. Better compensation and benefits could attract new hires and encourage experienced providers to continue working. The CDC study showed that providers who trusted their management and felt supported by their supervisors had better mental wellbeing, suggesting that adjustments in leadership practices would also help.
While healthcare workers’ wellbeing is important in its own right, the consequences of healthcare worker burnout are also a serious cause of concern for patients. Providers that are stretched too thin spend less time with each patient, deliver lower quality care, and are more likely to make dangerous mistakes. In the worst cases, these factors can put a patient’s well-being in jeopardy. This can lead to medical malpractice in various forms, from delays in diagnosis to radiology misses to prescription drug errors. Addressing this issue is of vital importance, because it affects the health and safety of everyone in the hospital, providers and patients.
