{"id":25242,"date":"2022-06-15T10:38:26","date_gmt":"2022-06-15T14:38:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.indianz.com\/News\/?p=25242"},"modified":"2022-06-15T10:38:27","modified_gmt":"2022-06-15T14:38:27","slug":"cronkite-news-health-care-workers-suffer-burnout-amid-covid-19-pandemic","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2022\/06\/15\/cronkite-news-health-care-workers-suffer-burnout-amid-covid-19-pandemic\/","title":{"rendered":"Cronkite News: Health care workers suffer burnout amid COVID-19 pandemic"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.<\/p>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/div>\n\t

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Cronkite News Video by Julio Mora Rodriguez: HHS Assistant Secretary for Health, Admiral Rachel Levine, and U.S. Surgeon General, Vice Admiral Vivek Murthy host a roundtable at Phoenix Indian Medical Center<\/a>\r\n<\/figcaption>\r\n
\u2018Helpless but not hopeless\u2019: Arizona officials join surgeon general to address burnout in health workers<\/div>\r\n
Wednesday, June 15, 2022<\/div>\r\n
By Alexandra Conforti<\/div>\r\n
Cronkite News<\/DIV>\r\n
cronkitenews.azpbs.org<\/A><\/DIV>\r\n

<\/p>\r\nPHOENIX, Arizona — Doctors, nurses and other health care workers across the country have reached crisis levels of burnout, prompting the U.S. surgeon general to urge employers to review workloads and take further steps to address well-being.

<\/P>\r\nHealth care burnout isn\u2019t a new phenomenon, but it is escalating. The National Academy of Medicine<\/a> found that even before the pandemic, burnout affected 35% to 54% of nurses and physicians, while 45% to 60% of medical students reported symptoms.

<\/P>\r\nCOVID-19<\/a> made a bad situation worse, as health workers faced long hours, a crush of critically ill patients and added risks to their own health and that of their families. A Mental Health America survey<\/a> conducted early in the pandemic from June through September 2020, found that 93% of health workers experienced stress, 86% reported anxiety, 76% reported exhaustion and burnout, and 41% reported loneliness.

<\/P>\r\nExperiences of burnout differ from person to person but generally consist of work-related stress, emotional and physical exhaustion, and dissociation from patients or loved ones. Anxiety, depression or substance abuse can follow, bringing risks to patient care or missed work.

<\/P>\r\n \"Vivek<\/a>

U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy has issued a national advisory aimed at bringing attention to the rising problem of burnout among health care workers. Murthy, center, joined Health and Human Services Assistant Secretary Rachel Levine, left, and Phoenix pediatrician Claire Nechiporenko, right, at the Phoenix Indian Medical Center on May 24, 2022, to highlight the issue and its ramifications. Photo by Alexandra Conforti \/ Cronkite News<\/figcaption>\r\n

<\/P>\r\nExperts worry that the health workforce, under increasing demands with fewer resources, will continue to diminish faster than it can recover.

<\/P>\r\n\u201cHealth worker burnout is a health crisis for all of America, and that is why we need to treat it like a national priority,\u201d said Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, who last month issued a national advisory bringing attention to the problem. Murthy recalled meeting with a Florida nurse who said the pandemic had left him \u201chelpless but not hopeless.\u201d

<\/P>\r\nIn May, Murthy and Dr. Rachel Levine, assistant secretary for health at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, held a roundtable discussion at the Phoenix Indian Medical Center to hear experiences from local health workers and members of the Indian Health Service.

<\/P>\r\n\u201cThese heroes deserve more than our gratitude; they deserve our help,\u201d Levine said. \u201cWe\u2019re here to tell health care workers: We hear you, we see you, and we\u2019re here to help you.\u201d

<\/P>\r\nDr. Claire Nechiporenko, a pediatrician at the medical center who previously worked on the Navajo Nation, said addressing burnout is vital to prevent further workforce reductions, especially in underserved communities.

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NEW: Today, I released a Surgeon General\u2019s Advisory calling the nation to address a growing threat to our individual and collective health: health worker burnout. Health workers have long had our back\u2014it\u2019s time for us to have theirs. https:\/\/t.co\/2st5fl9j3A 1\/6<\/p>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/div>\n\t

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<\/P>\r\nResearch shows<\/a> that more doctors and nurses are either limiting work hours or intend to leave their practices, and the Association of American Medical Colleges estimates a shortage<\/a> of 37,800 to 124,000 physicians by 2034.

<\/P>\r\nRural areas would be among those hardest hit by a shrinking workforce \u2013 including Arizona\u2019s Indigenous communities, which already face deep health disparities and trouble accessing care.

<\/P>\r\n\u201cEven pre-pandemic, we\u2019ve had health care shortages on reservations,\u201d Nechiporenko said. \u201cIt\u2019s difficult to get physicians \u2013 any type of health care worker \u2013 to work remotely, and most of the time it\u2019s an environment where they\u2019ve never been.\u201d

<\/P>\r\nDuring the pandemic, health workers in rural communities have been subjected to irregular and long hours, more isolation, an expectation to always be on call, and lower pay, studies show<\/a>.

<\/P>\r\nBeyond differences among urban and rural health workers, gender may also play a role in burnout. The National Academy of Medicine reports that burnout<\/a> may be 20% to 60% more likely in female doctors than male doctors.

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With his administration sounding the alarm on health worker burnout, President Biden\u2019s pick to lead the Indian Health Service is up for a long-awaited confirmation hearing. Tune into @IndianCommittee to hear from Roselyn Tso, Navajo Nation citizen.@IHSgov https:\/\/t.co\/H0uiSMsra3<\/p>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/div>\n\t

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<\/p>\r\nVivek said it\u2019s not solely the role of the health care industry to fix the problem. Government officials, community advocates, academic institutions and leaders in technology must come together to help the profession thrive once again.

<\/P>\r\nIn January, the Department of Health and Human Services announced $103 million<\/a> would go toward evidence-back training programs and practices to improve mental health among health workers and help build resiliency.

<\/P>\r\nThe surgeon general\u2019s national advisory also calls on employers to enact paid leave, rest policies, and strengthen existing policies that protect health workers from community and workplace violence.

<\/P>\r\nAdditionally, it calls on medical schools to intervene to prevent stress among students, introduce inclusive and communal wellness programs, and establish schedules that reduce sleep deprivation.

<\/P>\r\nIn Arizona, health care systems and hospitals have supported workers amid the pandemic with check-in calls and more days off. Banner Health<\/a> created \u201crespite rooms\u201d to allow workers to remove protective equipment and take time to rest and recharge in rooms filled with snacks, games, music and special lighting.

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