The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has taken proactive steps to confront a growing mental health crisis among healthcare workers by introducing the “Impact Wellbeing” program. This initiative aims to support doctors and nurses in dealing with burnout, a challenge that impacted nearly half of the workforce in 2022.
The crisis in healthcare worker mental health reached its peak during the COVID-19 pandemic, with a Mental Health America report revealing that 93% of healthcare workers reported feeling stressed between June and September 2020. During that period, 86% experienced anxiety, and 76% reported burnout. It’s essential to note that while the pandemic intensified these challenges, burnout was prevalent even before the health crisis, persisting in its aftermath, as highlighted by the CDC in an October study.
The CDC study found that in 2022, close to 50% of healthcare workers experienced burnout, compared to 32% in 2018. Additionally, the percentage of workers reporting job-related harassment more than doubled to 13.4% over that period. Healthcare employees who faced harassment also dealt with higher rates of burnout and anxiety, as indicated by the CDC study.
Comparatively, healthcare workers face more adverse mental health outcomes than those in other industries. Furthermore, the study revealed that 44% of healthcare workers intended to seek new job opportunities in 2022, up from 33% in 2018. This trend contrasted with the broader workforce, where the percentage of workers intending to switch jobs decreased.
Disturbingly, healthcare workers also faced higher suicide rates than their non-healthcare counterparts. A study published in JAMA in September reported that healthcare support workers (21.4%) and registered nurses (16%) experienced the highest rates of suicide.
These mental health issues among healthcare professionals have been persistent over the years. A separate JAMA study found that between 1963 and 2015, 20% of U.S. doctors experienced depression.
The newly introduced CDC program, “Impact Wellbeing,” is designed to combat burnout and provide much-needed support to healthcare professionals. This initiative encompasses a questionnaire designed to collect information about healthcare workers’ wellbeing, a guide to facilitate discussions on mental health care among leadership, and strategies for supervisors to strike a balance between their employees’ work and personal lives. The program emerged as a response to a 2022 federal law named after a doctor who tragically died by suicide in 2020.
Addressing the stigma associated with seeking mental health care, “Impact Wellbeing” encourages hospitals to eliminate “intrusive” mental health questions on credentialing applications, acknowledging that many doctors are hesitant to seek assistance due to concerns about how it might affect their answers on these applications. Various organizations, including the American Medical Association, have advocated for the removal of questions that may discourage healthcare workers from seeking help for mental health or substance abuse issues.
