Caring for Canada’s Care Providers Amidst the COVID-19 Pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic has drastically changed many aspects of our lives. These changes are increasingly amplified for healthcare workers on the front lines. Specifically, our healthcare workers have had to deal with several challenges including working under constrained resources, extended hours, challenges finding resting times, balancing out work and life outside of medicine, and exposure to COVID-19 (1). These challenges have affected the health and wellbeing of our healthcare workers (2). Evidence (2) shows that front line healthcare workers have reported symptoms of depression, anxiety, insomnia and distress during the pandemic. These findings are concerning given the mental health status of healthcare professionals before the pandemic. Results from the 2017 National Physician Health Survey, highlight the already heightened levels of mental health challenges our physicians face (3). Specifically, this survey found that 30% of physicians reported feeling high levels of burnout, 34% screened positive for depression and 19% revealed lifetime suicidal ideation (3). Therefore, this pandemic has resulted in even greater detriment for the mental health of our healthcare providers. It should be noted that 81% of physicians and residents surveyed said they were aware of physician health program services available to them, yet only 15% had accessed them (3).

Thus, it has now become more important than ever to provide our healthcare workers with resources that support their mental health. In line with a strengths-based approach, it is important to acknowledge the resources that the Canadian Medical Association (CMA) has provided to professionals (4). CMA has created timely resources for physicians to engage in self-care during the pandemic, and these resources entail support for burnout, increasing resilience and dealing with distress (4). These resources are certainly helpful; however more must be done while addressing the system-level solutions aimed at reducing or preventing burnout of our physicians (5). It is important to create a safe platform to hear what physicians really need to support their health and wellbeing, so that we can care for those who care for us by prioritizing physician health and wellness through advocacy for systems-level change.