from the editor
from the editor
Humanizing the COVID-19 Experience of Healthcare Personnel
new health humanities essay from the University of Missouri
A highlights how the narrative of many news stories in the media highlighting the challenges of healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic often emphasized individual experiences . The lead author of the author , Lise Saffran , an associate teaching professor , says that many of these stories often left out broader public health , socioeconomic and environmental contexts that are critical to how consumers of news shape their thoughts about the pandemic and how to respond . By introducing a storytelling framework that emphasizes the core tenets of public health , the authors say they hope to help journalists , policymakers and public health humanities experts reframe not just how they view and tell stories about the COVID-19 pandemic , but also how scientific information gets disseminated , absorbed or rejected , and what emotions that data conjures up in consumers of news .
Saffran and her co-authors analyzed how healthcare workers were characterized during the COVID-19 pandemic and then categorized the stories into three common themes related to clinicians as vulnerable front-line workers , clinician frustration with vaccine and masking resistance , and the clinician as a hero .
While stories highlighted the risk to individual healthcare workers assisting infected patients in the hospital , stories about the nearly 7 million essential low-wage workers , such as housekeepers and personal care aides , were much rarer , even though they were being exposed to COVID-19 at a higher rate than the general public , Saffran pointed out .
News stories often highlighted the heroics of clinicians in hospitals without the proper personal protective equipment ( PPE ) or adequate staffing levels who put their own health at risk to help patients .
“ While these workers certainly are heroes , how do we frame the narrative around possible solutions to the structural and systematic failures , whether it be a lack of PPE or staffing shortages , that are forcing the clinicians to be heroes in the first place ,” Saffran says . “ We also tend to tell stories through the American lens , but in less developed , less industrialized countries , these gaps in health care ,
While stories highlighted the risk to individual healthcare workers assisting infected patients in the hospital , stories about the nearly 7 million essential low-wage workers , such as housekeepers and personal care aides , were much rarer , even though they were being exposed to COVID-19 at a higher rate than the general public .”
gaps in adequate PPE or gaps in staff are often larger . So how we frame these stories informs how we react . Do we ask clinicians to be heroes , or do we try to change the system to fill the gaps ?”
Saffran ’ s goal is to help storytellers broaden their narrative through a more holistic public health humanities framework , which has implications for both increasing feelings of empathy and compassion , as well as influencing policy decisions to address societal inequities and help improve the health outcomes of underserved populations .
“ Whether we realize it or not , when we consume news stories , this is how we develop our ideas of what policy should look like , we ask questions like ‘ why is this happening ?’ and ‘ what should we do about it ?’” adds Saffran . “ Humans don ’ t approach science and data strictly through an analytical lens , we engage with material through our values , identity and fears , which incorporate the humanities as well .”
Perhaps this essay will inspire healthcare institutions to become more proactive by engaging with the media during the next outbreak or pandemic to better champion the contributions of healthcare professionals . Until next month , bust those bugs !
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6 september 2023 • www . healthcarehygienemagazine . com