When it comes to planning and support of our front front-line workers, the US has become complacent. In the past decade, we have concentrated on refining and squeezing efficiencies from what had become the norm, which has actually narrowed the range of options to consider as a result. Planning in this way has left us ill-prepared for a crisis (compared to the mobilized community response during the 2005 SARS outbreak). Meanwhile, natural disasters, violence in the community, and the ongoing frustrating fight against proliferating virus variants threaten to increase the number of reasons for caregiver stress.
The pandemic is a disruptor that activated a sea change for healthcare and frontline workers alike. What do we know about burnout, and how can it be mitigated or eased with spatial solutions?