April 11, 2023 – The last few years have not been kind to the health and well-being of healthcare workers in the U.S. Indeed, the COVID-19 pandemic has put extreme stress on the healthcare workforce in the U.S., leading to workforce shortages as well as increased healthcare worker burnout, exhaustion and trauma, according to an issue brief from the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE) Office of Health Policy, part of the Department of Health and Human Services. “These pandemic-related challenges have taken place in a context of significant pre-existing workforce shortages and maldistribution, as well as in a workforce where burnout, stress, and mental health problems (including an ongoing risk of post-traumatic stress disorder) were already significant problems.”
Some points the ASPE made in its brief:
- Many healthcare workers who were not directly caring for COVID-19 patients faced being furloughed or having their hours reduced, particularly early in the pandemic. In May 2020, approximately 15% of hospital workers reported being unable to work at some time in the past 4 weeks because their employer closed or lost business due to the pandemic, compared to 23% of non-hospital healthcare workers. These numbers declined to 1-2% by the end of 2020.
- Total employment in the healthcare industry declined during the early months of the pandemic but has gradually recovered since summer 2020. The relative decline in employment was substantially larger for ambulatory care employees compared to hospital employees.
- Many hospitals have reported critical staffing shortages over the course of the pandemic, particularly when case numbers were high. During the Omicron surge in January and February 2022, the 7-day average of hospitals reporting critical staffing shortages peaked at 22% during mid-January 2022.
“Even after the pandemic, many of the effects the pandemic has had on the healthcare workforce will likely persist,” the ASPE said. “Addressing these impacts as well as the underlying challenges that predated the pandemic can help build a stronger and more resilient healthcare system for the future.”
Read more in the latest issue of Repertoire Magazine.