While a crisis like the COVID-19 pandemic or a natural disaster will inevitably cause stressors for physicians and other health professionals, there are steps organizations can take to promote workforce well-being before, during and after such events, according to the American Medical Association.
The AMA provides 15 steps for health systems in a new module, "Caring for the Health Care Workforce During Crisis."
They are:
Before crisis
1. Name a chief wellness officer and establish a professional well-being program
2. Coordinate with hospital incident command system leadership to develop a crisis plan
3. Support workers' needs for professional competency during crisis reassignments
4. Identify nonessential tasks that could be delayed or decreased during a crisis
5. Develop mechanisms to assess stress and needs among healthcare workers
During crisis
6. Keep watch on the situation and develop new crisis-specific support and resources as necessary
7. Emphasize and embody the importance of leaders' visibility to healthcare workers
8. Connect with other health systems to share and learn
9. Regularly evaluate stressors and stress level among healthcare workers
10. Adapt support plan to meet needs as they change
After crisis
11. Debrief each unit and profession within the organization
12. Catalogue lessons learned and update the crisis plan
13. Implement an approach across the health system to support recovery and restoration among healthcare workers
14. Honor the dedication and memorialize the sacrifice of the workforce
15. Resume ongoing efforts to promote thriving employees
Read more about the module here.
More articles on workforce:
How Sanford Health built an effective workforce management strategy
OSHA must speed up its handling of whistleblower complaints, inspector general says
Confirmed healthcare worker COVID-19 deaths, by state