Burnout and understaffing in healthcare are here to stay: report

Ontario's science advisers say a vicious cycle of health worker burnout and understaffing may be underway. In a new research brief, the group called for organizational responses to mitigate the problem anticipated to continue through the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond. The Ontario COVID-19 Science Advisory Table report published this week looked at patterns of burnout reported in Canada, North America and around the world during the pandemic. Their research focused on hospital workers but the group said similar problems exist in other areas of health such as long-term care and public health.The group said burnout was a significant problem in healthcare before the pandemic but it has since reached levels that "pose a threat to maintaining a functioning health-care workforce.'' Research has shown that nurses, those in intensive care and emergency departments, women, recent graduates and trainees are most at risk of burnout, which can lead to people leaving their jobs and contributing further to burnout risk among remaining staff. Read: CMA president decries 'gaslighting' of healthcare workers over toll of COVID-19 The science advisers said organizational approaches are more effective at reducing burnout than responding to individual cases. Organizations should work to ensure adequate staffing, minimize administrative tasks that add to workload, reduce overtime and long shifts and avoid deploying staff to areas they lack training, the advisers recommended in their report. They also suggested bringing in more new graduates and retaining current staff with financial compensation and building supportive workplaces. Ontario reported 573 new COVID-19 cases and 10 new deaths on Friday, October 8. There were 154 people in intensive care units due to COVID-19, with 15 of them reported to be fully vaccinated. Just under 87% of eligible Ontarians had received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, and nearly 82% have both doses. Also on Friday, the city of Toronto announced it would require proof of vaccination for anyone 12 and older to participate in indoor organized sports as of Nov. 1. Watch: Video: 4 ways to take time off as a physician

Burnout and understaffing in healthcare are here to stay: report

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