Maternal and neonatal health care worker well-being and patient safety climate amid the COVID-19 pandemic

Eman Haidari; Elliott K Main; Xin Cui; Valerie Cape; Daniel S Tawfik; Kathryn C Adair; Bryan J Sexton; Jochen Profit

doi:10.1038/s41372-021-01014-9

Maternal and neonatal health care worker well-being and patient safety climate amid the COVID-19 pandemic

J Perinatol. 2021 May;41(5):961-969. doi: 10.1038/s41372-021-01014-9. Epub 2021 Mar 16.

Authors

Eman Haidari¹, Elliott K Main², Xin Cui^{3

4}, Valerie Cape^{1

5}, Daniel S Tawfik⁶, Kathryn C Adair⁷, Bryan J Sexton^{7

8}, Jochen Profit⁹

Affiliations

¹ Division of Neonatology, Department of Pediatrics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA.
² Medical Director of California Maternal Quality Care Collaborative, Division of Maternal Fetal Medicine, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA.
³ Perinatal Epidemiology and Health Outcomes Research Unit, Division of Neonatology, Department of Pediatrics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA.
⁴ California Perinatal Quality Care Collaborative, Stanford, CA, USA.
⁵ California Maternal Quality Care Collaborative, Stanford, CA, USA.
⁶ Division of Pediatric Critical Care Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA.
⁷ Duke Center for Healthcare Safety and Quality, Duke University Health System, Durham, NC, USA.
⁸ Department of Psychiatry, Duke University School of Medicine, Duke University Health System, Durham, NC, USA.
⁹ Perinatal Epidemiology and Health Outcomes Research Unit, Division of Neonatology, Department of Pediatrics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA. profit@stanford.edu.

Abstract

Objective: To assess maternal and neonatal healthcare workers (HCWs) perspectives on well-being and patient safety amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Study design: Anonymous survey of HCW well-being, burnout, and patient safety over the prior conducted in June 2020. Results were analyzed by job position and burnout status.

Result: We analyzed 288 fully completed surveys. In total, 66% of respondents reported symptoms of burnout and 73% felt burnout among their co-workers had significantly increased. Workplace strategies to address HCW well-being were judged by 34% as sufficient. HCWs who were "burned out" reported significantly worse well-being and patient safety attributes. Compared to physicians, nurses reported higher rates of unprofessional behavior (37% vs. 14%, p = 0.027) and difficulty focusing on work (59% vs. 36%, p = 0.013).

Conclusion: Three months into the COVID-19 pandemic, HCW well-being was substantially compromised, with negative ramifications for patient safety.

Publication types

Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural

MeSH terms

Burnout, Professional / epidemiology*
COVID-19*
California / epidemiology
Cross-Sectional Studies
Female
Health Personnel / psychology*
Humans
Male
Maternal-Child Health Services / organization & administration
Patient Safety*
Surveys and Questionnaires

Abstract

Publication types

MeSH terms

Grants and funding