A new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) describes the well-being and working conditions for health workers using self-reported, cross-sectional data. From 2018 to 2022, health workers reported an increase in days where they felt their mental health was poor (from 3.3 days to 4.5 days). Meanwhile, the percentage who reported feeling burnout “very often” increased from 11.6% to 19.0%. Overall, 57.0% reported anxiety symptoms in 2022, and 44.2% reported being somewhat likely or very likely to look for a new job. On the side of good news, 29.7% of health workers said they were “very happy,” which is higher than the 26.3% of other types of workers who said the same.
The next topic of discussion: While mental health at work continues to be a pivotal issue, the rise in patients’ anger, frustration, and violence toward clinicians and support staff is even more concerning. Health workers’ reports of being harassed at work more than doubled, from 6.4% in 2018 to 13.4% in 2022.