It ’ s time for a change

Much has been written about the challenges frontline health care workers have faced during the COVID-19 pandemic. Long hours, excessive death, and fear for one’s own safety and the welfare of family and colleagues have been a consistent theme over the past 22 months. Physicians and nurses started as heroes, but due to strained politics and social-media misuse, they’re now branded by a substantial swath of society as pariahs and purveyors of a medical hoax. The timing of this pandemic could not have been worse: According to the Medscape National Physician Burnout & Suicide Report 2021, 79% of physicians stated their burnout had started before the COVID-19 pandemic. Dr. Hilger The pandemic has placed a spotlight on a system strained by burnout and moral distress. Hospitals have always been a safety net for society’s sickest and most vulnerable patients, leading to daily stressors that became accepted as part of one’s job. In addition, the past decade brought with it new challenges that have led to the gradual erosion of safety, respect, and civility, both within hospitals and also for frontline staff. At baseline, it’s estimated that 75% of workplace violence happens within the health care system. This likely underestimates the actual number, as most frontline workers consider verbal and physical assaults to be part of their job. The American College of Emergency Physicians has stated that 70% of emergency department clinicians have reported acts of violence, wh...
Source: The Hospitalist - Category: Hospital Management Authors: Tags: Business of Medicine COVID-19 Hospital Medicine Practice Management Source Type: research