Health care burnout is a serious, pressing issue today – a situation exacerbated by the avalanche of media attention on the COVID-19 virus. Thankfully, some public officials and media operators recognized the impact of the so-called novel coronavirus on the health of our health care providers.
Among signs of the apocalypse – stores running out of toilet paper, for instance – come voices of calm and reason. It’s just sad we have to search to find it.
Take for example a moving opinion piece by Kelly Colopy, the Health and Human Services Director for the city of Long Beach in Southern California, published in a local online news outlet. Appropriately titled “Support and kindness can help prevent and prepare for the potential of COVID-19 entering our community,” the piece explains the dangers of misinformation, as well as ways we all can contribute to help.
“These health professionals have dedicated their lives to helping all of us. Trust and believe that they want to do right by you, and if they think you are at risk from COVID-19, they will do everything they can to confirm it, care for you and contain it,” Colopy wrote.
Later in the piece she continued, “So while our health care network is hard at work, one of the most important things you can do for the health of our community is support each other.”
It’s refreshing to see a public official go to bat for our already overloaded health care network. It’s also very worthwhile to let people know how they can help others; and to prevent fear, misinformation and confusion.
Health Care Burnout Already a National Crisis
Please remember this during this virus event: be kind to your doctors, dentists, nurses and other health care professionals. It was only late last year that national media reported on the critical issue of health care burnout.
Many doctors and health care professionals already suffered symptoms of job burnout, before anyone even knew what a coronavirus was. That it occurred in the middle of an unusually difficult flu season only worsens the situation.
Now, almost all of us are bombarded with media reports about the symptoms and reportedly fast-moving nature of COVID-19. As repeated many times with our media over the last century or so, the desire for the scoop and readership and, ultimately, money outweighed the need for thoroughness and diligence.
How soon they forget. Health care burnout is real, and should share headlines with stories on viruses (or celebrity news, or whatever else is the story du jour).
Just last fall, national media outlets reported that up to half of the nation’s doctors and nurses experience noticeable symptoms of burnout. A year prior, major news agencies reported on another study that found nearly half of junior physicians were experiencing burnout symptoms at least one day a week.
Health Care Workers Already Victimized by Coronavirus
Imagine yourself at work, already suffering from burnout, only to learn that people doing the same job overseas are dying from a virus contracted on the job. That’s what was reported recently – that almost 3,400 Chinese health care workers have contracted the novel coronavirus – with 13 resulting in death.
But the workers we’re talking about here are the very people we trust to care for our health and well-being. What can we do to help?
Consider two main points outlined by Colopy, the city health and human services director:
- Support. “If you have family and friends that are elderly or may have underlying respiratory conditions, give them a call and check in. If they are sick and experiencing fever, cough and shortness of breath, help them reach out to their primary care physician,” she wrote. “And let’s not forget our neighbors. Many of us have neighbors that are elderly or have disabilities that affect mobility, and sometimes they live alone. Do the same for them.
“Supporting each other, even when it’s over the phone or on text or video chat, goes a long way to bolster mental health and put each other at ease.”
And,
- Kindness. “It (kindness) is one of the key factors in not spreading fear; Fear leads to misinformation and confusion, neither of which are helpful. Be kind to each other.
“It’s also going to take all of us to stop the spread of misinformation. This is critical.”
The strain on health care workers is being recognized and acknowledged, thankfully. In the meantime, let’s all help them out with courtesy, support and kindness.
And please use common sense! Why stores would ever run out of toilet paper during a virus scare is beyond belief. Most of us have survived other national health warnings over the years – and many of us have done so on multiple occasions. Calm down, have patience, and simply do your part to keep yourself and your surroundings clean.
Action to Prevent Coronavirus
While this guest blog post is about physician burnout and associated working conditions for health care workers, I would be remiss to not offer reminders of what you can do physically to help deter the spread of COVID-19.
The U.S. Centers for Disease and Prevention simply breaks prevention into two parts: for yourself, and for others:
Protect yourself:
- Clean your hands often – using soap and water for at least 20 seconds at a time. This is especially important if you’ve been in a public place, or after blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing.
o If soap and water are unavailable, use a hand sanitizer (with at least 60% alcohol). - Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.
- Avoid close contact with people who are sick
Protect others:
- Stay home if you are sick, except to get medical care.
- Cover coughs and sneezes with a tissue when you cough or sneeze.
- Throw used tissues in the trash; and then
- Immediately wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds.
- Wear a facemask if you are sick.
- Clean AND disinfect frequently touched surfaces daily – such as tables, doorknobs, light switches, countertops, handles, desks, phones, keyboards, toilets, faucets, and sinks.
- If surfaces are dirty, clean them.