Burnout and Distress Among Health Care Workers During COVID-19: Can We Offer More Than Band-Aid Solutions?

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues through successive waves, health systems are strained by rising admission rates, high illness acuity, wait lists for postponed procedures, and growing worker attrition. Anger and frustration over workloads, institutional and governmental COVID-19 policies, and public apathy (and antagonism) toward health professions have contributed to a complex constellation of emotional experiences among health care workers (HCWs): burnout, fatigue, distress, and moral injury. These have been accompanied by increases in HCW visits for mental health and substance use support.1,2 A confluence of factors make meaningful responses to HCW distress challenging, but opportunities exist to provide more than band-aid solutions.