Two new studies illustrate the mental toll COVID-19 took on healthcare workers (HCWs), with the first documenting high rates of burnout among HCWs and the second describing harassment on social media platforms suffered by physicians and scientists during the pandemic.
40% likely to quit within 5 years
The first study, published in the Journal of Interprofessional Education & Practice, included surveys and interviews of HCWs in Massachusetts who were asked about their experiences with burnout during the pandemic. Forty percent of those interviewed said the pandemic, and subsequent burnout, meant it was likely they would leave their jobs within 5 years.
Fifty-two HCWs completed interviews from April 22 to September 7, 2021, and 209 HCWs completed an online survey from February 17 to March 23, 2022. Thirty-seven percent and 34% of respondents, respectively, were physicians. Participants were also predominantly white (56% of interviewees and 73% of survey respondents, respectively) and female (79% and 81%).
In addition to demonstrating a desire to leave their professions, 55% of respondents said they had worse mental health than before the pandemic. And 59% said they experienced symptoms of burnout at least weekly.
Several key themes emerged from participant interviews: Many HCWs said they felt unprepared to deal with a novel virus and cited changing guidelines and a lack of knowledge pertaining to transmission, fatality rates, and outcomes in the early months of the pandemic as a huge source of stress. After the initial weeks of the pandemic, many experienced feeling burned out from both overwork in their healthcare jobs and from social isolation.
Four out of five participants felt unsupported by healthcare leadership.
By 2022, the emergency phase of the pandemic had passed, but HCWs still reported high levels of burnout due to a lack of adequate financial compensation for jobs performed.
"Four out of five participants felt unsupported by healthcare leadership," the authors wrote. To prevent attrition in the healthcare field, the authors suggest healthcare systems focus on career sustainability.
"Increased compensation will allow healthcare workers to sustain their quality of life in the setting of inflation and a rising cost of living," the authors said. "Flexible schedules also allow healthcare professionals to care for their patients and their families—a need that is becoming more critical, as women hold 76% of all healthcare jobs."
Two thirds of docs describe online harassment
As many as 66% of physicians and scientists experienced online, social media harassment during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to survey results published today in JAMA Network Open.
The study included 359 respondents who answered questions about harassment and their experiences using Twitter. A third of respondents (120) were aged 35 to 44 years, 57% were women, 39% were men, and 4% identified as transgender. All participants completed surveys from July 18 to August 21, 2022.
Among those who said they experienced online harassment, 210 (88%) reported harassment due to health-related advocacy, including providing information about COVID-19 and vaccines in general. Sixty-seven percent of women also said they experienced gender-based harassment, compared to just 12% of men.
"Social media plays a role in disseminating medical and scientific knowledge to the public; however, high levels of reported harassment may lead more physicians and scientists to limit the way they use social media, thus leaving propagation of misinformation unchecked by those most qualified to combat it," the authors concluded.
