COVID-19 Energized the HCP Community in the Early Days

How The Pandemic United the HCP Community Despite Physician Burnout

• According to Dr. Ted Teknos, the COVID-19 pandemic reenergized the HCP community in the early days by galvanizing health care workers toward a unified goal
• As the pandemic has continued, many HCPs are experiencing higher levels of burnout than ever before
• Reflecting on the emotions and energy that were associated with the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic may help HCPs reduce burnout and stay motivated in the months ahead

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, levels of HCP burnout had reached epidemic proportions. “Health care has been suffering from burnout for many, many years. All of the regulatory challenges, all of the insurance and administrative challenges that face health care has really sapped the joy for many providers,” Dr. Ted Teknos, a head and neck cancer surgeon at University Hospitals in Cleveland, tells SurvivorNet Connect. According to Dr. Teknos, there was a silver lining when the pandemic first began as many health care workers felt reenergized with a purpose. “The pandemic really in a way reenergized the health care community,” Dr. Teknos says. “In a strange way, the unity that the COVID pandemic provided really energized people because things happened so quickly.” One way to address burnout is to think back upon the early days of COVID-19 and draw inspiration from the feeling of unity that permeated the health care system.