United States Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy issued a new Surgeon General’s Advisory highlighting the urgent need to address the healthcare worker burnout crisis across the country. Healthcare workers, including physicians, nurses, community and public health workers, nurse aides, and others, faced systemic challenges in the healthcare sector even before the COVID-19 pandemic, leading to crisis levels of burnout. The pandemic further exacerbated burnout for healthcare workers, with many risking and sacrificing their own lives in the service of others while responding to a public health crisis.
Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, healthcare workers were experiencing high levels of burnout. In 2019, the National Academies of Medicine (NAM) reported that burnout had reached “crisis” levels, with up to 54 percent of nurses and physicians suffering from it.
Burnout among healthcare workers has harmful consequences for patient care and safety, such as decreased time spent with patients, increased medical errors, and staffing shortages. With over half a million registered nurses anticipated to retire by the end of 2022, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics projects the need for 1.1 million new registered nurses across the United States. Further, within the next five years, the country faces a projected national shortage of more than 3 million low-wage healthcare workers.
The Advisory gives recommendations that can be utilized to address the factors causing burnout, to improve healthcare worker well-being, and to strengthen the nation’s public health infrastructure. You can access the Advisory here: https://www.hhs.gov/surgeongeneral/priorities/health-worker-burnout/index.html.
Issue:
Burnout is a leading patient safety and quality concern among healthcare organizations. However, only 5 percent of respondents of a 2019 survey said that their organization was highly effective at helping staff address burnout. When healthcare workers suffer from emotional exhaustion, they can begin to feel like they lack control. This can lead to psychologically and cognitively detaching from the care environment. The result is less than optimal care. Chronic work-related stress, a precursor to burnout, has been associated with poor physical and mental health outcomes for healthcare workers, including impaired cognitive function, increased risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, fertility issues, sleep disruptions and insomnia, isolation, family and relationship conflict, anxiety, depression and increased risk for substance use and misuse.
Discussion Points:
- Make sure your facility has policies and procedures in place to protect the health, safety, and well-being of your staff.
- Provide education to help staff identify behaviors that may indicate burnout is occurring in themselves or their coworkers. Teach preventative measures, such as how to reduce stress, develop resiliency, and maintain healthy habits.
- Periodically audit by surveying staff regarding their mental health status related to their caregiving experience. In addition, facilities should address and prepare for staffing challenges and identify sources of workplace illness and injury in order to respond effectively with corrective or preventive measures.
