Biden administration sounds alarm over health care burnout

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — The events of the COVID-19 pandemic have put a strain on doctors, nurses and other hospital staff workers, and the past 2½ grueling years are catching up to them.

Current statistics estimate approximately 985,000 physicians are actively working. But, that number is expected to drop significantly, by 140,000 or 15%, over the next five years. A projected 3 million lower-wage, health care workers are expected to drop out of the workforce over the same time. 

News 8 spoke with Dr. Christopher Doehring, vice president of medical affairs at Franciscan Health, who explains the major effects that health care worker burnout will have on the industry. 

“There is no doubt this has a deleterious effect on the quality of care, on the attentiveness, the focus and those things that you really rely on, folks being at their best,” he said. “And when they are experiencing burnout things tend to get missed and quality suffers as a result.”

“The nation’s health depends on the well-being of our health workforce,” said U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy, in a statement. “Confronting the long-standing drivers of burnout among our health workers must be a national priority. COVID-19 has been a uniquely traumatic experience for the health workforce and for their families, pushing them past their breaking point. Now, we owe them a debt of gratitude and action. And if we fail to act, we will place our nation’s health at risk.”

In March, President Joe Biden released his national strategy to increase mental health support. A key initiative of that strategy is to expand and provide greater access to mental health support for front-line workers.