
According to new survey data, healthcare workers in the United States are facing over twice the levels of workplace harassment compared to the period before the pandemic.
Results published on Tuesday in a report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on vital signs show that in 2022, 13.4% of healthcare workers reported being harassed at work, compared to 6.4% in 2018.
Harassment, as defined in the report, includes "threats, bullying, verbal abuse, or other actions by patients and colleagues that create a hostile work atmosphere."
The survey also found that healthcare workers who reported harassment were more likely to report anxiety, depression, and burnout compared to those who did not experience harassment.
Staff shortages have also played a role in healthcare workers reporting worsened mental health. From 2018 to 2022, a larger percentage of healthcare workers (25.7% versus 32%) reported often being understaffed where they worked.
"Among healthcare workers who reported staffing shortages, the odds of reporting symptoms of anxiety were 1.91 times greater, and the odds of reporting burnout were 2.73 times greater, compared to those who did not report staffing shortages," the report states.
However, positive workplace conditions, including trust in leadership and supervisor support, were associated with lower risks of burnout and poor mental health.
The report notes that the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, part of the CDC, has developed a national campaign called Impact Wellbeing to provide employers with resources to support the mental health of workers on-site.
Burnout in the healthcare field is a widespread problem that predates the COVID-19 pandemic, although the chaos caused by the spread of the coronavirus exacerbated the situation. The suicide rate among physicians, partly due to burnout, has been a concern for decades.
Currently, the United States is facing an unprecedented shortage of nurses, contributing to burnout and low morale. As reported by CBS Evening News anchor and managing editor Nora O'Donnell last year, the U.S. needs over 200,000 new registered nurses every year until 2030 to meet demand.
Caitlin Hall, a nurse at Children's National Hospital in Washington, D.C., told O'Donnell that she loves her job, but the past few years have been challenging.
"I think people are really worn out," Hall said. "The last few years, we've relied heavily on overtime to truly fill the gaps in the department."