COVID-19 Physician Burnout: Louisiana's Workforce Vulnerability and Strategies for Mitigation

Abstract

Background: Louisiana is historically one of the lowest-performing states in terms of health outcomes in the United States. Hurricane Katrina led to a decrease in available health care resources, with a larger impact on resources for those living below the poverty line. Subsequently, the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has been shown to have had disproportionately large impacts on minority communities, uninsured populations, and rural communities-all of which are found in Louisiana. Methods: This review focuses on the unique challenges of health care in Louisiana, the influence of COVID-19 on physician burnout, and methods of reducing work exhaustion for those in the health care field. Results: A national survey showed that physician satisfaction decreased from June 29, 2021, through September 26, 2021, compared to before the pandemic. A critical component in the provision of the essential services of public health is the ability to build and sustain a clinically skilled and diverse physician workforce. Maintaining well-being and retaining the physician workforce are prerequisites to the equitable provision of access to health care services. Conclusion: Maintaining one's own wellness is critical to occupational sustainability, particularly when unique stressors such as those encountered during the COVID-19 pandemic are present. The future of a vital health care system depends on physicians maintaining healthy habits and seeking help when burnout symptoms are recognized, both at the individual and institutional level.

Keywords: Coronavirus; pandemics; public health.

Figure 1.

Poverty by state in the United States. Louisiana is among the top 5 states and territories with the highest percentage of the population living in poverty. (Image reproduced without changes according to the provisions of the CC BY-SA 4.0 license.)

Figure 2.

Projected US physician demand and supply from 2017-2030. Using publicly available databases, Zhang et al created this model illustrating the probable increased demand for physicians compared to the proposed supply until 2030. (Image reproduced without changes according to the provisions of the CC BY 4.0 license.)

Figure 3.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) prevalence in Louisiana as of March 21, 2021, when at least 1% of the population of every parish (county) had confirmed COVID-19 infection. (Image reproduced without changes according to the provisions of the CC0 1.0 license.)

Figure 4.

Restructured schedule proposed by Zhang et al for orthopedic residents to reduce the chance of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) exposure. The schedule rotates every 7 days so that each team reduces the chances of spreading COVID-19 to their colleagues and the general population. (Image reproduced without changes according to the provisions of the CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 license.) VA, Veterans Administration.