Becker's Spine Review

44 44 HEALTHCARE NEWS The Great Resignation for healthcare workers is unique, and so are its solutions By Georgina Gonzalez T he Great Resignation hit healthcare work- ers in a unique way, with abuse, misinfor- mation and death and trauma on a mas- sive scale — all affecting their ability to do their jobs safely. Christine Sinksy, MD, vice president of profes- sional satisfaction for the American Medical Association, told Becker's that we may not have yet seen the full effects of the Great Resignation among healthcare workers. However, she does provide key solutions for healthcare leaders to take to support staff and help them transition into a better, healthier work environment that reduces burnout. e effect of the pandemic on healthcare workers cannot be underestimated, she said. "e frequency of death and tragedy during peaks in the COVID waves was more than most physicians had ever experienced in the past," she said. "And the number of younger people who were dying was more than most nurses and phy- sicians and others had previously encountered in their entire professional lives." Medical professionals who work in critical care settings can oen feel a sense of compromised integrity while caring for patients in difficult conditions, such as end-of-life care, and this in- creases their likelihood of leaving the profession. Given the manifestations of COVID-19, many healthcare workers were exposed to these criti- cal care situations. "If you've felt that you've had to compromise your integrity in the course of caring for patients, that increases your odds by threefold of intending to leave your current position," said Dr. Sinksy. e pandemic also introduced unique challenges for healthcare workers, according to Dr. Sinksy. "I believe the politicization of healthcare deci- sions has been particularly stressful for nurses and physicians. Certainly we hear a lot about pa- tients and families who interact with healthcare workers in an uncivil way. And I've heard from some physicians that this decrease in the civility in our discourse has contributed to their decision to cut back their hours or to retire early." She also explained that the cycle of trauma and recovery is a long path, too. "We know the pattern is that the disaster hits, then there is what is called the honeymoon pe- riod where everyone comes together. Healthcare workers in the early phases of the pandemic felt supported, and were treated as heroes. But what follows the honeymoon phase is a period of disil- lusion, discouragement and frustration and then aer this setback there can come some level of recovery." When this recovery will end though remains to be seen. To combat some of the burnout, Dr. Sinsky, alongside experts from the American Hospital Association, the Institute for Healthcare Im- provement and more, created a 2022 healthcare workforce rescue package, filled with action plans to alleviate some of the strain of staff. One ap- proach included in the report titled "Getting Rid of Stupid Stuff " aims to streamline the workflow of medical professionals. "It means reducing the number of EHR clicks for common workflows or reducing the number of inbox notifications. ere's a lot of sludge in the healthcare system that is weighing physicians and others down on a daily basis. It can be so hard to get through the mundane tasks of care because what could be done in two clicks, takes 30 clicks, and when it happens over and over again, the cu- mulative effect can be very dispiriting." Other recommendations for action include implementing crisis care protocols, for instance around documentation of care. is means that during times of crisis, medical professionals should be permitted to enter only the bare essen- tials into documentation systems to save time and strain. A final recommendation given was to create peer support networks and install a staff member re- sponsible for team wellbeing. By instituting a team member who has operational authority to oversee the wellbeing efforts of the system, hos- pitals can ensure someone is constantly thinking about how to improve the quality of experience for staff and guiding all efforts. Dr. Sinsky argues that health systems do not need to make their staff more resilient, but instead need to them- selves become more resilient to be able to protect and care for their staff. You can read more about strategies to reduce burnout in their report. n HCA acquires Virginia urgent care chain with 12 locations By Marissa Plescia N ashville, Tenn.-based HCA Healthcare has finalized its acquisition of BetterMed, an urgent care prac- tice with 12 locations, Richmond BizSense reported June 3. With the acquisition, HCA now owns more than 240 urgent care facilities. BetterMed, based in Richmond, Va., sought a buyer to grow its presence in its current markets and outside, CEO Mark Johnson told the publication. "We had gotten to a point where we doubled the size of the business from December 2018 to December 2019, going from six sites to 12 sites," he said. "We felt there were opportunities to continue on an aggressive path, but would be better suited to take outside investment to get that done." HCA also brought on the chain's medical and administra- tive staff through the deal. Mr. Johnson has chosen to step down as CEO of BetterMed. n

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