People are tired of respiratory viruses , and they ’ re trying to resume normal lives . I worry that since COVID-19 is beginning to settle down a little , there may be an impression that influenza will as well .” — Kimberly Shriner ,
MD
“ Large waves of infectious and severely ill patients with COVID or Influenza stress any hospital or healthcare system due to high resource utilization ,” says Cedars-Sinai ’ s Ben-Aderet . “ These waves can be difficult to manage without the necessary material resources and appropriate staffing . I think most hospitals have learned important lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic and are better prepared than they were in 2020 .”
“ We are already seeing the impact of RSV on hospitals , even before we are experiencing the worst of the 2022-2023 influenza and COVID season ,” Calderwood observes . “ This is challenging bed capacity for pediatric care . At a time when pediatric beds and pediatric staffing are already low , hospitals are working to serve larger regions .”
Ben-Aderet says he believes hospitals have learned from the pandemic enough to be better prepared to face a potential wave of COVID and flu cases concurrently .
“ We have learned a lot since 2020 , and I think we are much better prepared ,” Ben-Aderet says .
Calderwood agrees , noting , “ We have learned a lot from prior seasons , including how to ensure delivery of care for patients presenting with COVID-19 and patients presenting with all of the other illnesses requiring medical care . Hospitals
have worked out surge plans and staffing models to meet demand , but burnout and staff leaving the work force is challenging hospitals across the U . S .”
The experts offered their advice on what healthcare institutions can do to prepare for a potentially severe flu season .
“ I think the most important mitigation strategy is to make sure that all healthcare workers are vaccinated and boosted against COVID-19 and influenza to protect them and minimize staffing shortages during infection surges ,” Ben-Aderet says . “ In addition , we need to make sure that we have sufficient available resources to test and care for patients with respiratory illness throughout the winter .”
“ As community transmission remains high , it is important to continue to emphasize the importance of medical masks in healthcare settings where we are caring for patients at higher risk of severe disease ,” Calderwood says . “ Hospital leaders are focused on resiliency and engagement . Our frontline providers have been through a lot and often have some of the best ideas about what is needed to optimize care . We no longer have shortages of PPE or vaccines . Our focus is on maintaining staffing necessary to deliver care for all those who need it .”
ANNOUNCING
Healthcare Worker Wellbeing Day
2022
The team at The Healthcare Rest Stop announces its campaign to make Healthcare Worker Wellbeing Day , November 15 , an annual local , regional and national observance .
We are pleased to announce that the City of San Diego will be the first city in the U . S . to officially proclaim Nov . 15 , 2022 , as Healthcare Worker Wellbeing Day , part of Healthcare Worker Wellbeing Month , which we are working to establish as an annual observance every November .
This effort coincides with the launch of The Healthcare Rest Stop , an online resource for healthcare professionals needing a break from their harried work lives .
TO FIND OUT HOW YOU CAN PARTICIPATE IN THIS ENDEAVOR
Post-pandemic burnout continues to impact healthcare organizations and their practitioners . At the heart of healthcare professionals ’ well-being and engagement is a sense of community and workplace connectedness , as well as a restored sense of purpose , positivity , and focus that creates resilience . Intentionally creating time and space for connection in the workplace can be challenging , so that ’ s why we are developing an online rest stop for the healthcare community . Whether it ’ s watching relaxation and resilience-related videos or leveraging some downtime to catch up on continuing education related to the science of burnout , The Healthcare Rest Stop will become the virtual staff lounge designed to nurture body , mind , and spirit . This virtual lounge will offer a wide range of guided mini exercises and full-length courses in neurohumor and meditation / mindfulness especially designed for healthcare personnel , plus stress-reduction activities , outlets for creative expression , and much more , as we continue to build this resource .
We welcome you to visit our inaugural website by and invite you to check back as we continue to add new content .
Healthcare Worker Wellbeing Day and The Healthcare Rest Stop are enterprises developed by Keystone Media Inc . and Keystone Continuing Education , LLC .