The Influence of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Intensivists' Well-Being: A Qualitative Study

Chest. 2022 May 11:S0012-3692(22)00898-4. doi: 10.1016/j.chest.2022.05.003. Online ahead of print.ABSTRACTBACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic has strained healthcare systems and resulted in widespread critical care staffing shortages, negatively impacting quality of care delivered.RESEARCH QUESTION: How have hospitals' emergency responses to the pandemic influenced the well-being of frontline intensivists, and are there any potential strategies to improve their well-being and help preserve the critical care workforce?STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: We performed semi-structured interviews of intensivists at clusters of tertiary and community hospitals located in six regions across the U.S. between August-November 2020, using the "Four S framework" of acute surge planning (i.e., Space, Staff, Stuff, and System) to organize the interview guide. We then employed inductive thematic analysis to identify themes describing the influence of hospitals' emergency responses on intensivists' well-being.RESULTS: 33 intensivists from 7 tertiary and 6 community hospitals participated. Intensivists reported experiencing substantial moral distress, particularly due to restricted visitor policies and their perceived negative impacts on patients, families, and staff. Intensivists also frequently reported burnout symptoms due to their experiences with patient death, exhaustion over the pandemic's duration, and perceived lack of support from colleagues and hospitals. We identified several potentially modi...
Source: Chest - Category: Respiratory Medicine Authors: Source Type: research