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. 2022 Feb 14;37(6):e49.
doi: 10.3346/jkms.2022.37.e49.

Workload of Healthcare Workers During the COVID-19 Outbreak in Korea: A Nationwide Survey

Hae Suk Cheong  1 , Ki Tae Kwon  2 , Soyoon Hwang  3 , Shin-Woo Kim  4 , Hyun-Ha Chang  4 , Se Yoon Park  5 , Bongyoung Kim  6 , Shinwon Lee  7 , Jiho Park  8 , Sang Taek Heo  9 , Won Sup Oh  10 , Yeonjae Kim  11 , Kyung-Hwa Park  12 , Chang Kyung Kang  13 , NamHee Oh  14 , Su Jin Lim  15 , Seongcheol Yun  16 , Ji Woong Son  17
Affiliations

Workload of Healthcare Workers During the COVID-19 Outbreak in Korea: A Nationwide Survey

Hae Suk Cheong et al. J Korean Med Sci. .

Abstract

Background: As the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is ongoing, heavy workload of healthcare workers (HCWs) is a concern. This study investigated the workload of HCWs responding to the COVID-19 outbreak in South Korea.

Methods: A nationwide cross-sectional survey was conducted from September 16 to October 15, 2020, involving 16 healthcare facilities (4 public medical centers, 12 tertiary-care hospitals) that provide treatment for COVID-19 patients.

Results: Public medical centers provided the majority (69.4%) of total hospital beds for COVID-19 patients (n = 611), on the other hand, tertiary care hospitals provided the majority (78.9%) of critical care beds (n = 57). The number of beds per doctor (median [IQR]) in public medical centers was higher than in tertiary care hospitals (20.2 [13.0, 29.4] versus 3.0 [1.3, 6.6], P = 0.006). Infectious Diseases physicians are mostly (80%) involved among attending physicians. The number of nurses per patient (median [interquartile range, IQR]) in tertiary-care hospitals was higher than in public medical centers (4.6 [3.4-5] vs. 1.1 [0.8-2.1], P = 0.089). The median number of nurses per patient for COVID-19 patients was higher than the highest national standard in South Korea (3.8 vs. 2 for critical care). All participating healthcare facilities were also operating screening centers, for which a median of 2 doctors, 5 nurses, and 2 administrating staff were necessary.

Conclusion: As the severity of COVID-19 patients increases, the number of HCWs required increases. Because the workload of HCWs responding to the COVID-19 outbreak is much greater than other situations, a workforce management plan regarding this perspective is required to prevent burnout of HCWs.

Keywords: Burnout; Health Facilities; Health Workforce; SARS-CoV-2.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors have no potential conflicts of interest to disclose.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1. The geographical distribution of participating hospitals in the study.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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