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. 2023 May 25;20(11):5953.
doi: 10.3390/ijerph20115953.

"I Don't Want to Go to Work": A Mixed-Methods Analysis of Healthcare Worker Experiences from the Front- and Side-Lines of COVID-19

Smith F Heavner  1   2 , Mackenzie Stuenkel  1 , Rebecca Russ Sellers  3 , Rhiannon McCallus  1 , Kendall D Dean  2 , Chloe Wilson  4 , Marissa Shuffler  4 , Thomas W Britt  4 , Shannon Stark Taylor  5 , Molly Benedum  6 , Niki Munk  7 , Rachel Mayo  1 , Kathleen Buford Cartmell  1 , Sarah Griffin  1 , Ann Blair Kennedy  2
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"I Don't Want to Go to Work": A Mixed-Methods Analysis of Healthcare Worker Experiences from the Front- and Side-Lines of COVID-19

Smith F Heavner et al. Int J Environ Res Public Health. .

Abstract

During the COVID-19 pandemic, healthcare workers (HCW) were categorized as "essential" and "non-essential", creating a division where some were "locked-in" a system with little ability to prepare for or control the oncoming crisis. Others were "locked-out" regardless of whether their skills might be useful. The purpose of this study was to systematically gather data over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic from HCW through an interprofessional lens to examine experiences of locked-out HCW. This convergent parallel mixed-methods study captured perspectives representing nearly two dozen professions through a survey, administered via social media, and video blogs. Analysis included logistic regression models of differences in outcome measures by professional category and Rapid Identification of Themes from Audio recordings (RITA) of video blogs. We collected 1299 baseline responses from 15 April 2020 to 16 March 2021. Of those responses, 12.1% reported no signs of burnout, while 21.9% reported four or more signs. Qualitative analysis identified four themes: (1) professional identity, (2) intrinsic stressors, (3) extrinsic factors, and (4) coping strategies. There are some differences in the experiences of locked-in and locked-out HCW. This did not always lead to differing reports of moral distress and burnout, and both groups struggled to cope with the realities of the pandemic.

Keywords: burnout; healthcare worker; massage therapist; moral distress; nurse.

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Conflict of interest statement

Ann Blair Kennedy—current Chair of the Governance Standing committee for the American Massage Therapy Association. This position offers a small honorarium and reimbursement for travel (less than $10,000/year). Additionally, from August 2016–31 December 2022 I was the Executive Editor/Editor-in-Chief for the International Journal of Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork and was provided with an honorarium of $5000/year. Have also been an invited speaker with travel reimbursement and/or a small honorarium for both the Massage Therapy Foundation and for Healwell (less than $1000 total for both). Niki Munk—current Trustee Board Member for the Massage Therapy Foundation (MTF, since 2016), Chair for the MTF Research Committee. This work is all uncompensated although most travel expenses associated with related presentations are covered via MTF. Other authors declare no conflict of interest. The funders had no role in the design of the study; in the collection, analyses, or interpretation of data; in the writing of the manuscript; or in the decision to publish the results.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Convergent Parallel Design. Qualitative data and results are bolded to show emphasis.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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