from the editor
Hitting the Reset Button After the Pandemic Won ’ t Be Easy
Sometimes surveys and studies point out the obvious conclusions that those with common sense can discern for themselves , including what the pandemic must have been like for the 18 million U . S . healthcare workers , many of whom were on the frontlines . A new report summarizing the findings from a national survey of 1,200 of these personnel during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic found that many reported unsafe working conditions and retaliation for voicing their concerns to employers . The survey , conducted by staff and student researchers at George Washington University ,
“ This survey gives a voice to U . S . healthcare workers who have been on the frontlines of COVID-19 ,” says David Michaels , a professor of environmental and occupational health at George Washington University . “ Healthcare workers have valuable first-hand knowledge about this pandemic and this report offers recommendations that could help keep the U . S . on a steady course now and in the future .”
Several issues were repeatedly mentioned in survey responses , including :
● Frustration with unsafe working conditions , especially failed access to adequate personal protective equipment ( PPE )
● Instances of retaliation and at times bullying for voicing their safety concerns to employers
● Perceptions that employers prioritized hospital profits over worker safety and created an unhealthy work environment where workers felt devalued and threatened
Many of the survey respondents were nurses and the majority worked in a hospital setting . For safety concerns , many healthcare workers mentioned the lack of personal protective equipment during the early days of the pandemic . Respondents also said they lived with the fear of losing their job if they voiced their concerns and they
also expressed frustration with constantly changing employer and national guidelines .
Some healthcare personnel reported that their employer had taken steps to provide them with the PPE they needed to stay safe , while others described being devalued or treated as disposable . Still others said they were afraid of getting sick or bringing the virus home to vulnerable family members .
The survey also asked frontline workers for solutions to some of the problems they described in the survey . Healthcare workers stressed the need for improved communication and worker protection policies based on scientific evidence . They also recommended that the federal government step up and increase the national stockpile of PPE ; such a stockpile would help the nation better prepare for the next wave of this pandemic or a future pandemic , they said . In addition , the healthcare workers who participated in the survey called for employers to treat them with respect and asked for labor rights such as time off , mental healthcare and zero tolerance for bullying or retaliation .
In this issue we look at how the pandemic has impacted infection prevention and control , with experts suggesting better hardwiring of IP & C interventions , but there seem to be bigger issues undermining practice that can derail the results that concepts such as positive deviance and human-factors engineering can achieve . Getting back to business as usual quickly isn ’ t likely , as the pandemic has triggered a paradigm shift beyond healthcare delivery ; whether that ’ s a good thing or not remains to be seen as lessons learned are digested and the way forward is being created anew . Let ’ s hope that it ’ s an opportunity for IP & C to help forge that path .
Until next month , bust those bugs ! Kelly M . Pyrek Editor & Publisher kelly @ healthcarehygienemagazine . com healthcarehygienemagazine
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