Provider burnout and fatigue during the COVID-19 pandemic: lessons learned from a high-volume intensive care unit (April 2020)

Summary

The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in an overall surge in new cases of depression and anxiety and an exacerbation of existing mental health issues, with a particular emotional and physical toll on health care workers. Limited resources, longer shifts, disruptions to sleep and to work-life balance and occupational hazards associated with exposure to COVID-19 have contributed to physical and mental fatigue, stress and anxiety and burnout.

In this article, published by Wolters Kluwer, the Houston Methodist Hospital share the lessons learned collectively by an interdisciplinary team of Intensive Care Unit (ICU) leadership and collaborating scientists about the experience of occupational fatigue and burnout of intensive care personnel as a result of responding to the COVID-19 pandemic. They propose specific policy recommendations and guidelines for organisational readiness, resilience and disaster mitigation.