A recent report by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has shed light on a mounting mental health crisis faced by healthcare workers nationwide.
A recent report by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has shed light on a mounting mental health crisis faced by healthcare workers nationwide.
The study, based on data spanning from 2018 to 2022, has unveiled distressing statistics, indicating that nearly half of health workers reported experiencing burnout in 2022, a significant increase from just under a third four years prior. Instances of harassment at work have also more than doubled.
Released on Tuesday, the report underscores that health workers grapple with more severe mental health challenges compared to employees in other industries. This revelation follows the largest healthcare worker strike in US history, where 75,000 unionized Kaiser Permanente employees protested against burnout and chronic staffing shortages.
Dr. Debra Houry, Chief Medical Officer at the CDC, stated, “While health workers are typically dedicated to caring for others in their time of need, it is now our nation’s health workers who are suffering, and we must act.”
Even prior to the pandemic, healthcare workers faced demanding roles with long hours, unpredictable schedules, exposure to infectious diseases, and emotionally challenging interactions with patients and families.
Research has shown that healthcare workers, particularly nurses, health support staff, and health technicians, are at a heightened risk of suicide compared to those outside the medical field.
Houry emphasized, “Caring for sick individuals can be intensely stressful and emotional. Despite giving our all to save a life, some cases stay with you, like delivering a devastating cancer diagnosis or facing the loss of a young patient after a car accident.”
The Covid-19 pandemic exacerbated existing workplace challenges, with healthcare providers facing surges of patients, extended hours, and supply shortages. These pressures have led to a surge in mental health complications, including suicidal thoughts and, mirroring a larger trend in the US population, struggles with substance abuse.
The study mental health crisis noted an uptick in poor mental health days reported by healthcare workers between 2018 and 2022. Of those surveyed, 44% expressed a desire to seek new employment, up from 33% in 2018.
In stark contrast, the number of other essential workers considering a job change decreased during the same period.
Incidents of harassment, encompassing violent threats, bullying, and verbal abuse from patients and colleagues, rose from 6% to 13% during the study period. The report highlighted the severe impact of harassment on mental health, revealing that those who experienced it were significantly more likely to report anxiety, depression, and burnout.
The report underscores that these consequences can be mitigated through enhanced workplace policies and practices. Trust in management, adequate time for tasks, and support from supervisors were identified as factors associated with reduced burnout.
Employers were urged to foster “cross-level employee participation” in decision-making, which was linked to lower rates of depression symptoms. Additionally, supervisors were encouraged to monitor staffing needs and address harassment reports seriously.
The CDC’s National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health intends to launch a national campaign this fall aimed at assisting hospital leaders in addressing health workers’ well-being challenges. The urgent need for action was emphasized, as the well-being of both healthcare workers and patients in communities is inextricably linked.