Issue link: https://beckershealthcare.uberflip.com/i/1446606
28 PATIENT & CAREGIVER EXPERIENCE Viewpoint: Healthcare's unsung heroes overdue for round of applause By Georgina Gonzalez W hile physicians and nurses got the most attention for dealing with the chronic stress and burnout exacerbated by the pandemic, direct service workers should also be appreciated, Je- han El-Bayoumi, MD, founder of the Rodham Institute at Washington, D.C.-based George Washington University, wrote in a Dec. 6 op-ed published by The Hill. Physicians and nurses make up only about 20 percent of the total U.S. medical workforce, Dr. El-Bayoumi wrote. On the other hand, direct service workers such as nurse assistants, home health aides and personal care aides make up a large portion of the workforce, totaling over 4 million. They care for some of the most vulnerable people, yet are among the most undervalued and underpaid. They also represent an extremely diverse group of people, with 88 percent of the direct service workers in the Washington, D.C., area being women and people of col- or, and 32 percent being immigrants. In the same area, around 20 percent of these workers live in poverty, and at least 1 in 10 do not have health insurance despite being at higher risk of exposure to infectious diseases. Dr. El-Bayoumi urged health leaders to act now to change the system for these vital, unprotected workers. Protecting them, she argued, will save the system from collapse. "We cannot heal a mortal wound with Band-Aids. We cannot continue to tolerate a system where direct ser- vice workers struggle to make ends meet," she wrote. n Perception of hospitals takes downward turn in wake of COVID-19 pandemic: survey By Cailey Gleeson T he overall number of patients who would definitely rec- ommend a hospital to others decreased by 4.5 percent during the pandemic, reflecting a national decrease in patients' perceptions of care across all care settings, accord- ing to a Press Ganey survey published Nov. 4. Researchers conducted a national HCAHPS analysis to gauge shifts in the likelihood of patients to recommend their healthcare experience to family and friends since the onset of the pandemic. Five key findings: 1. The overall number of patients who rated their hospital experience a 10 out of 10, with 0 being the worst hospital possible and 10 being the best hospital possible, also decreased by 4 percent. 2. Seventy-five percent of COVID-19 patients would defi- nitely recommend a hospital to their family and friends, compared to 72 percent of non-COVID-19 patients. 3. Medical practices saw the greatest decreases in likeli- hood to recommend scores regarding patients' ability to access timely care. 4. Emergency departments saw the greatest decrease in scores around getting care within 30 minutes of showing up. 5. New England states saw the greatest decrease in pa- tients' likelihood to recommend while Southeastern states saw the least change in patients' perceptions. n Why some patients seek physicians of their own race, gender or sexual orientation By Mackenzie Bean S ome Americans seek out physicians who have the same gender, sexual orientation or race or ethnicity to help improve their healthcare experience and elim- inate potential care biases, e Washington Post reported Dec. 11. Research has shown that patients have better outcomes when treated by a physician who speaks the same language. However, findings are less conclusive on whether patients receive better care with a physician who looks like them. Patients shared various reasons with the Post about why they've sought physicians similar to them, all of which surrounded their own comfort at healthcare visits and the desire for a positive care experience. For example, San Francisco resident Kevin Goebel said he pre- fers to see a gay physician who knows how to ask health questions in a nonjudmental way. "In theory, any doctor could do that, but in practice, I haven't experienced that as a patient until I got a gay doc," he told the Post. "[My doctor] understands things like the gay bar culture, and that makes it easier to be candid and open." Raymond Givens, MD, PhD, a Black cardi- ologist at Atlanta-based Emory Healthcare, said he does not endorse "medical segrega- tion" but said there is value in diversifying the physician workforce to include more people of color. "I do know that some Black patients relax when they see my face. I think they know they don't have to prove their humanity," Dr. Givens wrote in a October 2021 Twitter post about the topic. n