New survey data indicates that healthcare workers in the United States have experienced a distressing surge in workplace harassment, more than doubling the pre-pandemic rate. The findings, disclosed in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Vital Signs report released on Tuesday, underline a concerning trend, with 13.4% of health workers reporting instances of harassment in 2022, a significant rise from the 6.4% reported in 2018.
Workplace harassment, as characterized in the report, encompasses various forms of misconduct, including threats, bullying, verbal abuse, or other actions initiated by patients and colleagues that create a hostile and unwelcoming work environment.
The survey also highlights that healthcare workers who reported being subjected to harassment exhibited increased odds of experiencing anxiety, depression, and burnout when compared to their non-harassed counterparts. Furthermore, staffing shortages have contributed to the decline in the mental well-being of healthcare workers during this period.
Between 2018 and 2022, a larger percentage of healthcare professionals (32% versus 25.7%) reported insufficient staffing levels at their workplaces. The report underscores the consequences of this issue, stating that health workers reporting staffing shortages had 1.91 times higher odds of experiencing anxiety symptoms and 2.73 times higher odds of reporting burnout when compared to those not facing such shortages.
On a more positive note, the report highlights the role of positive working conditions, such as trust in management and supervisor support, in reducing the odds of experiencing burnout and mental health issues.
The report notably mentions the Impact Wellbeing campaign by the CDC’s National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, which aims to offer resources to employers to support the mental health and well-being of healthcare workers.
Burnout in the healthcare sector has been a persistent and widespread issue predating the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic’s turbulence exacerbated these concerns, with a notable rise in physician suicide rates, partly attributed to burnout. Presently, the United States is grappling with an unparalleled shortage of nurses, contributing significantly to burnout and low morale.
As “CBS Evening News” anchor and managing editor Norah O’Donnell reported last year, the United States faces the urgent need for over 200,000 new registered nurses annually until 2030 to meet the escalating demand. Healthcare professionals, like Caitlyn Hall, a nurse at Children’s National Hospital in Washington, D.C., have been confronting these challenges. Despite their dedication to the profession, healthcare workers have endured immense strains over the last few years, including the reliance on overtime to compensate for staffing shortfalls, further underscoring the gravity of the situation.
