CDC unveils first federal campaign to address health care worker burnout

Key takeaways:

• The campaign’s resources will help hospital leaders improve workflow and reduce burnout.
• These resources will teach leaders to speak publicly about mental health and understand their workforce.

The CDC’s National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, or NIOSH, announced the launch of the first federal campaign aimed at providing resources to hospitals amid worsening health care worker burnout.

“Even before the pandemic, [health care workers (HCWs)] faced challenging working conditions that lead to burnout. This includes long work hours, risk for hazardous exposures, stressful work, and high administrative burdens,” John Howard, MD, director of NIOSH, said in a press release. “Hospital leaders need support to implement organizational changes. Practical adjustments can reduce burnout and strengthen professional well-being within their hospitals.”

The CDC noted that the campaign — called Impact Wellbeing — will provide hospital leaders with “actionable steps” to improve workflow, enhance quality improvements and create an environment where workers feel safe asking for help.

The campaign was launched on the heels of recent CDC Vital Signs report that showed the percentage of HCWs feeling burnout very often rose from 11.6% to 19% from 2018 to 2022. Almost half (45.6%) of HCWs reported feeling burnout often or very often in 2022.

The CDC highlighted multiple resources for hospitals leaders:

• NIOSH Worker Well-Being Questionnaire, which can show how a workforce is doing and help to identify ways to improve worker well-being;
• Leadership Storytelling Guide, which can help leaders publicly talk about their own experiences and concerns with mental health and advocate staff to do the same; and
• Total Worker Health Strategies, which can train front-line staff how to help HCWs balance work and home responsibilities.

The CDC also encouraged hospital leaders to eliminate intrusive mental health questions on hospital credentialing applications, thereby removing barriers to care and showing support for HCW well-being and mental health.

“Although some causes of burnout may take time to address, there are many feasible ways to champion a healthy workforce and hospital system,” Casey Chosewood, MD, MPH, director of the Office for Total Worker Health at NIOSH, said in the release. “By identifying and implementing practical operational adjustments, hospital leaders can help [HCWs] continue doing what they do best — delivering the highest quality patient care.”

References:

• CDC’s National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health launches first federal campaign for hospitals to tackle healthcare workers burnout. https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2023/p1031-OSHA-campaign.html. Published Oct. 31, 2023. Accessed Oct. 31, 2023.
• Impact wellbeing. https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/impactwellbeing/. Accessed Oct. 31, 2023.