The coronavirus pandemic has increased mental health distress among health professionals. Residents, pre-pandemic, already had elevated rates of depression, burnout, and suicide. However, there are no studies quantifying the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health of medical students in the USA. Our purpose was to conduct a multiinstitution survey to assess mental health among US medical students.
Mental Health of US Medical Students During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Ethical challenges in clinical practice significantly affect frontline nurses, leading to moral distress, burnout, and job dissatisfaction, which can undermine safety, quality, and compassionate care.To examine the impact of a longitudinal, experiential educational curriculum to enhance nurses' skills in mindfulness, resilience, confidence, and competence to confront ethical challenges in clinical practice.A prospective repeated-measures study was conducted before and after a curricular intervention at 2 hospitals in a large academic medical system. Intervention participants (192) and comparison participants (223) completed study instruments to assess the objectives.Mindfulness, ethical confidence, ethical competence, work engagement, and resilience increased significantly after the intervention. Resilience and mindfulness were positively correlated with moral competence and work engagement. As resilience and mindfulness improved, turnover intentions and burnout (emotional exhaustion and depersonalization) decreased. After the intervention, nurses reported significantly improved symptoms of depression and anger. The intervention was effective for intensive care unit and non-intensive care unit nurses (exception: emotional exhaustion) and for nurses with different years of experience (exception: turnover intentions).Use of experiential discovery learning practices and high-fidelity simulation seems feasible and effective for enhancing nurses' skills in addressing moral adversity in clinical practice by cultivating the components of moral resilience, which contributes to a healthy work environment, improved retention, and enhanced patient care.
This resource is found in our Actionable Strategies for Health Organizations: Aligning Values (Acknowledge/Address Moral Distress & Moral Injury).
Mindful Ethical Practice and Resilience Academy: Equipping Nurses to Address Ethical Challenges
Moral injury emerged in the healthcare discussion quite recently because of the difficulties and challenges healthcare workers and healthcare systems face in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Moral injury involves a deep emotional wound and is unique to those who bear witness to intense human suffering and cruelty. This article aims to synthesise the very limited evidence from empirical studies on moral injury and to discuss a better understanding of the concept of moral injury, its importance in the healthcare context and its relation to the well-known concept of moral distress. A scoping literature review design was used to support the discussion. Systematic literature searches conducted in April 2020 in two electronic databases, PubMed/Medline and PsychInfo, produced 2044 hits but only a handful of empirical papers, from which seven well-focused articles were identified. The concept of moral injury was considered under other concepts as well such as stress of conscience, regrets for ethical situation, moral distress and ethical suffering, guilt without fault, and existential suffering with inflicting pain. Nurses had witnessed these difficult ethical situations when faced with unnecessary patient suffering and a feeling of not doing enough. Some cases of moral distress may turn into moral residue and end in moral injury with time, and in certain circumstances and contexts. The association between these concepts needs further investigation and confirmation through empirical studies; in particular, where to draw the line as to when moral distress turns into moral injury, leading to severe consequences. Given the very limited research on moral injury, discussion of moral injury in the context of the duty to care, for example, in this pandemic settings and similar situations warrants some consideration.
Moral Injury in Healthcare Professionals: A Scoping Review and Discussion
[This is an excerpt.] Moral injury is understood to be the strong cognitive and emotional response that can occur following events that violate a person’s moral or ethical code.1 Potentially morally injurious events include a person’s own or other people’s acts of omission or commission, or betrayal by a trusted person in a high-stakes situation. For example, health-care staff working during the COVID-19 pandemic might experience moral injury because they perceive that they received inadequate protective equipment, or when their workload is such that they deliver care of a standard that falls well below what they would usually consider to be good enough. [To read more, click View Resource.]
Moral Injury: The Effect on Mental Health and Implications for Treatment
Moral injury in health care professionals (HPs) has worsened over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic. The trauma and burnout associated with moral injury has profound implications for the mental health of HPs.To explore the potential factors associated with moral injury for HPs who were involved in patient care during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, prior to the availability of vaccines.In this qualitative study, HPs were actively recruited to participate in a survey via snowball sampling via email and social media in 2 phases of 5 weeks each: April 24 to May 30, 2020 (phase 1), and October 24 to November 30, 2020 (phase 2). Overall, 1831 respondents answered demographic questions and assessments for moral injury, intrinsic religiosity, and burnout. Of those, 1344 responded to the open-ended questions. Responses to open-ended questions were coded iteratively and thematically analyzed within the framework of moral injury.Working in a patient care setting during the COVID-19 pandemic prior to the availability of vaccines.Inductive thematic analysis of open-response survey answers identified dominant emotions and common stressors associated with moral injury.There were 335 individuals (109 [32.6%] aged 35-44 years; 288 [86.0%] women; 294 [87.8%] White) in phase 1 and 1009 individuals (384 [38.1%] aged 35-44 years; 913 [90.5%] women; 945 [93.7%] White) in phase 2. In phase 1, the respondents were predominantly nurses (100 [29.9%]), physicians (78 [23.3%]), advanced practice practitioners (APPs) (70 [20.9%]), and chaplains (55 [16.4%]). In phase 2, the respondents were predominantly nurses (589 [58.4%]), physicians (114 [11.3%]), and APPs (104 [10.3%]). HPs faced numerous stressors, such as fear of contagion, stigmatization, short-staffing, and inadequate personal protective equipment. The emotions experienced were (1) fear in phase 1, then fatigue in phase 2; (2) isolation and alienation; and (3) betrayal.These findings suggest that HPs experienced moral injury during the COVID-19 pandemic. Moral injury was not only experienced after a single moral dilemma but also from working in morally injurious environments. These experiences can serve as potential starting points for organizations to engender and enhance organizational and individual recovery, team building, and trust. System-level solutions that address shortages in staffing and personal protective equipment are needed to promote HP well-being.
Morally Injurious Experiences and Emotions of Health Care Professionals During the COVID-19 Pandemic Before Vaccine Availability
IMPORTANCE: Labor unions are purported to improve working conditions; however, little evidence exists regarding the effect of resident physician unions. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the association of resident unions with well-being, educational environment, salary, and benefits among surgical residents in the US. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: This national cross-sectional survey study was based on a survey administered in January 2019 after the American Board of Surgery In-Training Examination (ABSITE). Clinically active residents at all nonmilitary US general surgery residency programs accredited by the American Council of Graduate Medical Education who completed the 2019 ABSITE were eligible for participation. Data were analyzed from December 5, 2020, to March 16, 2021. EXPOSURES: Presence of a general surgery resident labor union. Rates of labor union coverage among non–health care employees within a region were used as an instrumental variable (IV) for the presence of a labor union at a residency program. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: The primary outcome was burnout, which was assessed using a modified version of the abbreviated Maslach Burnout Inventory and was defined as experiencing any symptom of depersonalization or emotional exhaustion at least weekly. Secondary outcomes included suicidality, measures of job satisfaction, duty hour violations, mistreatment, educational environment, salary, and benefits. RESULTS: A total of 5701 residents at 285 programs completed the pertinent survey questions (response rate, 85.6%), of whom 3219 (56.5%) were male, 3779 (66.3%) were White individuals, 449 (7.9%) were of Hispanic ethnicity, 4239 (74.4%) were married or in a relationship, and 1304 (22.9%) had or were expecting children. Among respondents, 690 residents were from 30 unionized programs (10.5% of programs). There was no difference in burnout for residents at unionized vs nonunionized programs (297 [43.0%] vs 2175 [43.4%]; odds ratio [OR], 0.92 [95% CI, 0.75-1.13]; IV difference in probability, 0.15 [95% CI, −0.11 to 0.42]). There were no significant differences in suicidality, job satisfaction, duty hour violations, mistreatment, educational environment, salary, or benefits except that unionized programs more frequently offered 4 weeks instead of 2 to 3 weeks of vacation (27 [93.1%] vs 52 [30.6%]; OR, 19.18 [95% CI, 3.92-93.81]; IV difference in probability, 0.77 [95% CI, 0.09-1.45]) and more frequently offered housing stipends (10 [38.5%] vs 9 [16.1%]; OR, 2.15 [95% CI, 0.58-7.95]; IV difference in probability, 0.62 [95% CI 0.04-1.20]). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: In this evaluation of surgical residency programs in the US, unionized programs offered improved vacation and housing stipend benefits, but resident unions were not associated with improved burnout, suicidality, job satisfaction, duty hour violations, mistreatment, educational environment, or salary.
This resource is found in our Actionable Strategies for Government: Empowering Workers & Strengthening Leadership and Governance (Strengthening Protections to Speak Up)
National Evaluation of the Association Between Resident Labor Union Participation and Surgical Resident Well-Being
[This is an excerpt.] A week and a half after Chicago’s COVID-19 lockdown began in 2020, a nurse on a bus ride home from her hospital shift felt the brunt of the pandemic. But it didn’t come in the form of treating an onslaught of patients with SARS-CoV-2—she hadn’t been assigned to care for those infected with the novel coronavirus. [To read more, click View Resource.]
Navigating Attacks Against Health Care Workers in the COVID-19 Era
OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to identify patterns of nurse staffing and skill mix and estimate the impact of these patterns on rehospitalization and emergency department (ED) visits in nursing home (NH) residents. We also estimated the relative contribution of unique staffing patterns on variations in hospital and ED use rates. DESIGN: Retrospective secondary data analysis at the facility level, using administrative data. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: Data from Medicare/Medicaid certified NHs in the 2018 Certification and Survey Provider Enhanced Reporting System were merged with the NH Compare Claims-Based Quality Measures file, for those facilities with complete data available (N = 14,325). METHODS: Cluster analysis was performed to identify groups of NHs with similar nursing skill mix patterns, using measures that captured hours per resident day (HPRD) for registered nurses (RNs), licensed practical nurses (LPNs), and certified nursing assistants (CNAs). We estimated the impact of cluster assignment on unplanned rehospitalization and ED visits using multivariate generalized estimating equations. Plots were generated to visualize simulation models that showed the relative contribution of unique staffing strategies to the outcomes, while holding other factors constant. RESULTS: We identified 3 nursing skill mix clusters: high-RN, high-LPN, and high-CNA, relative to national staffing averages. After controlling for regional and organizational characteristics, residents in NHs in the high-RN cluster had significantly lower rehospitalization and ED use compared with those in the high-LPN cluster, with a similar nonsignificant trend for the high-CNA vs high-LPN clusters. Though the high-RN cluster had CNA HPRD similar to the high-CNA cluster, it relied much less on LPN staffing. Whereas NHs in the high-LPN cluster had proportionally fewer hours of care by both CNAs and RNs. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: NHs that emphasize LPN care in place of either RN or CNA care appears to exhibit higher rates of unplanned rehospitalization and ED visits among residents.
Nurse staffing and skill mix patterns in relation to resident care outcomes in US nursing homes
[This is an excerpt.] One of the most common responses I hear from my students, and a quick search of many nursing surveys, consistently shows that nurses believe that advocacy is one of the most important components of our jobs. Regardless of our setting, nurses have the ability to engage in advocacy every day. Nurses are trained how to advocate for our patients, but what about advocating for ourselves? What about advocating for our profession? [To read more, click View Resource.]
Nursing Advocacy Beyond the Bedside
BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 crisis has caused prolonged and extreme demands on healthcare services. This study investigates the types and prevalence of occupational disruptions, and associated symptoms of mental illness, among Australian frontline healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: A national cross-sectional online survey was conducted between 27 August and 23 October 2020. Frontline healthcare workers were invited to participate via dissemination from major health organisations, professional associations or colleges, universities, government contacts, and national media. Data were collected on demographics, home and work situations, and validated scales of anxiety, depression, PTSD, and burnout. RESULTS: Complete responses were received from 7846 healthcare workers (82.4%). Most respondents were female (80.9%) and resided in the Australian state of Victoria (85.2%). Changes to working conditions were common, with 48.5% reporting altered paid or unpaid hours, and many redeployed (16.8%) or changing work roles (27.3%). Nearly a third (30.8%) had experienced a reduction in household income during the pandemic. Symptoms of mental illness were common, being present in 62.1% of participants. Many respondents felt well supported by their workplaces (68.3%) and believed that workplace communication was timely and useful (74.4%). Participants who felt well supported by their organisation had approximately half the risk of experiencing moderate to severe anxiety, depression, burnout, and PTSD. Half (50.4%) of respondents indicated a need for additional training in using personal protective equipment and/or caring for patients with COVID-19. CONCLUSIONS: Occupational disruptions during the COVID-19 pandemic occurred commonly in health organisations and were associated with worse mental health outcomes in the Australian health workforce. Feeling well supported was associated with significantly fewer adverse mental health outcomes. Crisis preparedness focusing on the provision of timely and useful communication and support is essential in current and future crises.
This resource is found in our Actionable Strategies for Health Organizations: Empowering Worker & Learner Voice (Worker & Learner Engagement).
Occupational Disruptions During the COVID-19 Pandemic and Their Association with Healthcare Workers' Mental Health
Three major themes where organizational contexts might reduce burnout and increase work engagement were identified: a work culture that prioritizes person-centered care over productivity and other metrics, robust management skills and practices to overcome bureaucracy, and opportunities for employee professional development and self-care. These contexts, influenced at multiple organizational levels, could be targeted in future interventions that are effective in reducing burnout and improving work engagement.
Organizational Conditions That Influence Work Engagement and Burnout: A Qualitative Study of Mental Health Workers
[This is an excerpt.] Nearly 3 in 5 (58 percent) of U.S. organizations voluntarily conduct pay equity reviews to identify possible pay differences between employees performing similar work. Of those organizations, 83 percent adjusted employees' pay following a pay equity review, according to new survey data from the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM). The surveys, which received responses from 1,017 individual contributors, 1,038 managers and 1,094 HR professionals, were fielded in June and July. "This research shows that workplace culture starts at the top—and organizations with forward-thinking leadership are in the best position to win the global competition for talent," said Emily M. Dickens, SHRM chief of staff, head of government affairs and corporate secretary. SHRM encourages employers to proactively conduct self-evaluations of pay and correct improper disparities in compensation, to discuss pay expectations with their employees, and to share with their employees information on how pay decisions are made. [To read more, click View Resource.]
This resource is found in our Actionable Strategies for Health Organizations: Meaningful Rewards& Recognition (Adequate Compensation)
Pay Equity Audits and Transparency Foster Trust, SHRM Research Shows
OBJECTIVE: This study was performed to determine whether health care worker (HCW) assessments of good institutional support for second victims were associated with institutional safety culture and workforce well-being. METHODS: HCWs' awareness of work colleagues emotionally traumatized by an unanticipated clinical event (second victims), their perceptions of level of institutional support for such colleagues, safety culture, and workforce well-being were assessed using a cross-sectional survey (SCORE [Safety, Communication, Operational Reliability, and Engagement] survey). Safety culture scores and workforce well-being scores were compared across work settings with high (top quartile) and low (bottom quartile) perceptions of second victim support. RESULTS: Of the 10,627 respondents (81.5% response rate), 36.3% knew at least one work colleague who had been traumatized by an unanticipated clinical event. Across 396 work settings, the percentage of respondents agreeing (slightly or strongly) that second victims receive appropriate support ranged from 0% to 100%. Across all respondents, significant correlations between perceived support for second victims and all SCORE domains (Improvement Readiness, Local Leadership, Teamwork Climate, Safety Climate, Emotional Exhaustion, Burnout Climate, and Work-Life Balance) were found. The 24.9% of respondents who knew an actual second victim and reported inadequate institutional support were significantly more negative in their assessments of safety culture and well-being than the 42.2% who reported adequate institutional support. CONCLUSION: Perceived institutional support for second victims was associated with a better safety culture and lower emotional exhaustion. Investment in programs to support second victims may improve overall safety culture and HCW wellbeing.
This resource is found in our Actionable Strategies for Health Organizations: Ensuring Physical & Mental Health (Occupational Safety).
Perceptions of Institutional Support for "Second Victims" Are Associated with Safety Culture and Workforce Well-Being
[This is an excerpt.] Currently, there are 17 states with statutes or regulations addressing pharmacist prescribing of tobacco cessation aids (without a CPA). In the map below, green states allow pharmacists to prescribe all FDA-approved tobacco cessation aids (including varenicline and bupropion), orange states allow pharmacists to prescribe all FDA-approved nicotine replacement products, and yellow states allow pharmacists to prescribe nicotine replacement products that are available over-the-counter. [To read more, click View Resource.]
This resource is found in our Actionable Strategies for Government: Optimizing Workload & Workflows (Advance Team-Based Care).
Pharmacist Prescribing: Tobacco Cessation Aids
Physician burnout and other forms of occupational distress are a significant problem in modern medicine, especially during the COVID19 pandemic, yet few doctors are familiar with the neurobiology that contributes to these problems. Burnout has been linked to changes that reduce a physician’s sense of control over their own practice, undermine connections with patients and colleagues, interfere with work–life integration, and result in uncontrolled stress. Brain research has demonstrated that uncontrollable stress, but not controllable stress, impairs the functioning of the prefrontal cortex, a recently evolved brain region that provides top-down regulation over thought, action and emotion. The prefrontal cortex governs many cognitive operations essential to physicians, including abstract reasoning, higher order decision-making, insight, and the ability to persevere through challenges. However, the prefrontal cortex is remarkably reliant on arousal state, and is impaired under conditions of fatigue and/or uncontrollable stress when there are inadequate or excessive levels of the arousal modulators (e.g. norepinephrine, dopamine, acetylcholine). With chronic stress exposure, prefrontal gray matter connections are lost, but can be restored by stress relief. Reduced PFC self-regulation may explain several challenges associated with burnout in physicians including reduced motivation, unprofessional behavior, and suboptimal communication with patients. Understanding this neurobiology may help physicians have a more informed perspective to help relieve or prevent symptoms of burnout, and may help administrative leaders to optimize the work environment to create more effective organizations. Efforts to restore a sense of control to physicians may be particularly helpful.
Physician Distress and Burnout, the Neurobiological Perspective
OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the relationships between immediate supervisors' leadership qualities and the subsequent levels and changes in burnout and satisfaction of supervised physicians 2 years later. PARTICIPANTS AND METHODS: In 2015 and 2017 physicians were asked to complete surveys that included the 9-item Mayo Clinic Leadership Score (range, 9 to 45) assessing their supervisor, an item about satisfaction with the organization, and two items from the Maslach Burnout Inventory. Individual participants' responses to the surveys were linked. RESULTS: Among the 3698 physicians invited to complete both the 2015 and 2017 survey, 1795 (48.5%) responded. The mean composite baseline leadership score was 38.1 (SD, 8.4). Lower mean baseline leadership scores were reported by physicians who had burnout (mean [SD], 36.0 [9.7] vs 39.1 [7.3]; P<.001) 2 years later in comparison to those who did not have burnout 2 years later. In multivariable analysis, higher baseline leadership score of supervisors was independently associated with lower odds of physicians having burnout 2 years later (for each 1-point increase, odds ratio, 0.98; 95% CI, 0.96 to 0.99; P=.002) after adjusting for burnout at baseline, age, gender, length of service, and specialty. Baseline composite leadership score of supervisors was also independently associated with physicians' satisfaction with the organization 2 years later (odds ratio, 1.05; 95% CI, 1.03 to 1.07; P<.0001). CONCLUSION: Physicians' ratings of their immediate supervisors' leadership qualities were associated with their subsequent levels and changes in burnout and satisfaction 2 years later. Additional studies are needed to determine the effect of sharing such scores with immediate supervisors and providing additional leadership training to those with low scores, and if doing so ultimately reduces burnout and improves satisfaction of the supervised physicians.
This resource is found in our Actionable Strategies for Health Organizations: Strengthening Leadership.
Physicians' Ratings of Their Supervisor's Leadership Behaviors and Their Subsequent Burnout and Satisfaction: A Longitudinal Study
BACKGROUND: COVID-19 has put extraordinary stress on healthcare workers. Few studies have evaluated stress by worker role, or focused on experiences of women and people of color. METHODS: The “Coping with COVID” survey assessed US healthcare worker stress. A stress summary score (SSS) incorporated stress, fear of exposure, anxiety/depression and workload (Omega 0.78). Differences from mean were expressed as Cohen's d Effect Sizes (ESs). Regression analyses tested associations with stress and burnout. FINDINGS: Between May 28 and October 1, 2020, 20,947 healthcare workers responded from 42 organizations (median response rate 20%, Interquartile range 7% to 35%). Sixty one percent reported fear of exposure or transmission, 38% reported anxiety/depression, 43% suffered work overload, and 49% had burnout. Stress scores were highest among nursing assistants, medical assistants, and social workers (small to moderate ESs, p < 0.001), inpatient vs outpatient workers (small ES, p < 0.001), women vs men (small ES, p < 0.001), and in Black and Latinx workers vs Whites (small ESs, p < 0.001). Fear of exposure was prevalent among nursing assistants and Black and Latinx workers, while housekeepers and Black and Latinx workers most often experienced enhanced meaning and purpose. In multilevel models, odds of burnout were 40% lower in those feeling valued by their organizations (odds ratio 0.60, 95% CIs [0.58, 0.63], p< 0.001). INTERPRETATION: Stress is higher among nursing assistants, medical assistants, social workers, inpatient workers, women and persons of color, is related to workload and mental health, and is lower when feeling valued.
Prevalence and Correlates of Stress and Burnout Among U.S. Healthcare Workers During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A National Cross-Sectional Survey Study
BACKGROUND: Burnout is a major challenge in health care, but its prevalence has not been evaluated in practicing respiratory therapists (RTs). The purpose of this study was to identify RT burnout prevalence and factors associated with RT burnout. METHODS: An online survey was administered at 26 centers in the United States between January and March 2021. Validated quantitative cross-sectional surveys were used to measure burnout and leadership domains. The survey was sent to department directors and distributed by the department directors to their staffs. Data analysis was descriptive, and logistic regression analysis was performed to evaluate risk factors, expressed as odds ratios (OR), for burnout. RESULTS: The survey was distributed to 3,010 RTs; the response rate was 37%. Seventy-nine percent of the respondents reported burnout, 10% with severe, 32% with moderate, and 37% with mild burnout. Univariate analysis revealed that those with burnout worked more hours per week, worked more hours per week in the ICU, primarily cared for adult patients, primarily delivered care via RT protocols, reported inadequate RT staffing, reported being unable to complete assigned work, had more frequent exposure to COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019), had a lower leadership score, and fewer had a positive view of leadership. Logistic regression revealed that burnout climate (OR 9.38; P < .001), inadequate RT staffing (OR 2.08 to 3.19; P = .004 to .05), unable to complete all work (OR 2.14 to 5.57; P = .003 to .02), and missed work for any reason were associated with an increased risk of burnout (OR 1.96; P = .007). Not providing patient care (OR 0.18; P = .02) and a positive leadership score (.55; P = .02) were associated with a decreased risk of burnout. CONCLUSIONS: Burnout was common among the RTs in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. Good leadership was protective against burnout, whereas inadequate staffing, an inability to complete work, and a burnout climate were associated with burnout.
Prevalence of Burnout Among Respiratory Therapists Amid the COVID-19 Pandemic
PURPOSE: Assess effectiveness of Primary Care 2.0: a team-based model that incorporates increased medical assistant (MA) to primary care physician (PCP) ratio, integration of advanced practice clinicians, expanded MA roles, and extended the interprofessional team.
METHODS: Prospective, quasi-experimental evaluation of staff/clinician team development and wellness survey data, comparing Primary Care 2.0 to conventional clinics within our academic health care system. We surveyed before the model launch and every 6-9 months up to 24 months post implementation. Secondary outcomes (cost, quality metrics, patient satisfaction) were assessed via routinely collected operational data.
RESULTS: Team development significantly increased in the Primary Care 2.0 clinic, sustained across all 3 post implementation time points (+12.2, +8.5, + 10.1 respectively, vs baseline, on the 100-point Team Development Measure) relative to the comparison clinics. Among wellness domains, only “control of work” approached significant gains (+0.5 on a 5-point Likert scale, P = .05), but was not sustained. Burnout did not have statistically significant relative changes; the Primary Care 2.0 site showed a temporal trend of improvement at 9 and 15 months. Reversal of this trend at 2 years corresponded to contextual changes, specifically, reduced MA to PCP staffing ratio. Adjusted models confirmed an inverse relationship between team development and burnout (P <.0001). Secondary outcomes generally remained stable between intervention and comparison clinics with suggestion of labor cost savings.
CONCLUSIONS: The Primary Care 2.0 model of enhanced team-based primary care demonstrates team development is a plausible key to protect against burnout, but is not sufficient alone. The results reinforce that transformation to team-based care cannot be a 1-time effort and institutional commitment is integral.
This resource is found in our Actionable Strategies for Health Organizations: Improving Workload & Workflows (Optimizing Teams).
Primary Care 2.0: A Prospective Evaluation of a Novel Model of Advanced Team Care With Expanded Medical Assistant Support
OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to understand the physical and psychological impact of high stress clinical environments and contributory factors of burnout in multidisciplinary healthcare workforce during the initial outbreak of COVID-19. METHOD: In-person qualitative interviews informed by an adaptation of Karasek's Job Demand-control model were conducted with a convenience sample of healthcare workforce from March to April 2020. RESULTS: Themes emerging from interviews coalesced around three main areas: fear of uncertainty, physical and psychological manifestations of stress, and resilience building. Shifting information, a lack of PPE, and fear of infecting others prompted worry for those working with Covid-infected patients. Participants reported that stress manifested more psychologically than physically. Individualized stress mitigation efforts, social media and organizational transparency were reported by healthcare workers to be effective against rising stressors. CONCLUSION: COVID-19 has presented healthcare workforce with unprecedented challenges in their work environment. With attention to understanding stressors and supporting clinicians during healthcare emergencies, more research is necessary in order to effectively promote healthcare workforce well-being.
This resource is found in our Actionable Strategies for Health Organizations: Ensuring Physical & Mental Health (Occupational Safety).


