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The Impact of the COVID 19 Pandemic on the Health and Well being of Ohio s Healthcare Workers State Medical Board of Ohio Summary Preliminary research completed by

INTRODUCTION In October of 2020 the Ohio Physicians Health Program OhioPHP in partnership with Mighty Crow Media put forth a proposal to conduct a statewide assessment of lessons learned from the COVID 19 pandemic as it related to the impact the pandemic had on the health and well being of healthcare professionals The COVID 19 pandemic exacerbated existing challenges within our healthcare system for patients and for healthcare professionals Fear loss lack of personal protective equipment ongoing surges and much more have impacted everyone in ways we cannot even begin to understand Preexisting levels of stress and burnout were further elevated as healthcare professionals faced this unknown and ever challenging pandemic Recognizing the need to know more about how to support our healthcare professionals in these fields especially as it relates to their emotional welfare became readily apparent OhioPHP received a grant from the Federation of State Medical Boards Foundation that supported the development of an online survey targeted at healthcare professionals across the state of Ohio to gauge their pandemic related experiences levels of stress overall well being and knowledge and use of supportive resources OhioPHP in collaboration with 13 of Ohio s Professional Licensing Boards launched the survey in July 2021 Between July 7 2021 and August 20 2021 13 532 professionals responded to the survey This report provides an overview of the findings OHIOPHP COVID 19 WELL BEING SURVEY STATE MEDICAL BOARD OF OHIO SUMMARY 2022 01

SUMMARY This report summarizes data collected from 2 865 respondents from the State Medical Board of Ohio SMBO which represents 21 of total survey respondents Data was collected via an online survey administered statewide between July 7 2021 and August 20 2021 66 2 865 Respondents OF RESPONDENTS WERE 35 64 YEARS OLD AVERAGE NUMBER OF YEARS IN THE FIELD 20 STATE MEDICAL BOARD OF OHIO LICENSE TYPES Physician Acupuncturist Anesthesiologist Assistant Cosmetic Therapist Dietician Genetic Counselor Massage Therapist Oriental Medicine Practitioner Physician Assistant Radiologist Assistant Respiratory Care Professional TOP PARTICIPATION BY SPECIALTY 56 Physicians Resident Physicians 15 Respiratory Care Professionals 13 Massage Therapists OHIOPHP COVID 19 WELL BEING SURVEY STATE MEDICAL BOARD OF OHIO SUMMARY 2022 02

BURNOUT AMONG SMBO RESPONDENTS Already a well known issue among healthcare workers burnout has dramatically accelerated during the pandemic Far more workers reported feeling emotionally drained on a daily basis during the pandemic when compared to how they felt prior to the pandemic Respondents were asked How often did you feel you did not really care what happens to patients Despite the essential nature of healthcare work many professionals are finding less meaning in their jobs and feel apathetic while caring for patients APATHY TOWARDS PATIENTS 200 Percentage of Respondents 6 4 increase in the number of SMBO respondents that reported not caring what happens to patients every day during the pandemic 2 0 Once a week A few times a week Prior to the COVID 19 Pandemic Every day During the COVID 19 Pandemic FEELING EMOTIONALLY DRAINED FROM WORK During the COVID 19 Pandemic increase in the number of SMBO respondents that reported feeling emotionally drained every day during the pandemic Prior to the COVID 19 Pandemic 317 4 75 5 Nearly 20 of SMBO respondents indicated they felt emotionally drained every day 19 79 25 OHIOPHP COVID 19 WELL BEING SURVEY STATE MEDICAL BOARD OF OHIO SUMMARY 2022 03

A LOOK INTO MENTAL HEALTH AND SUBSTANCE USE SMBO respondents overwhelmingly indicated they had an exacerbation of feeling down depressed and hopeless Many respondents also indicated more concern for their own use of alcohol and other substances during the pandemic and some reported an increase in thoughts of suicide HOW OFTEN HAVE YOU FELT DOWN DEPRESSED OR HOPELESS Percentage of Respondents 60 619 40 increase in SMBO respondents feeling down depressed or hopeless nearly every day during the pandemic 20 0 Not at all More than half the days Prior to the COVID 19 Pandemic Nearly every day During the COVID 19 Pandemic THOUGHTS OF DEATH OR SUICIDE INCREASES IN SUBSTANCE USE Due to concerns about healthcare workers experiencing an exacerbation in mental health issues we thought it was imperative to assess suicide risk Thoughts of suicide for respondents increased from 3 53 prior to the pandemic to 5 79 during the pandemic Respondents alcohol and other mood altering substance use as a strategy for coping with work stress burnout compassion fatigue etc is of concern due to the negative impact it may have on one s mental health 22 of respondents indicated an increase or significant increase in their substance use during the pandemic 64 189 Increase in thoughts of suicide among SMBO respondents during the pandemic increase in concerns about alcohol or substance use during the pandemic among SMBO respondents OHIOPHP COVID 19 WELL BEING SURVEY STATE MEDICAL BOARD OF OHIO SUMMARY 2022 04

THE STATUS OF SMBO RESPONDENTS WELL BEING WELL BEING ASSESSMENT Survey respondents were asked about various stressors brought about by the pandemic Our intention was to assess overall well being and to see which factors played the biggest role in increasing the stress of healthcare workers 44 of SMBO respondents had an increase in their workload Respondents were also asked about stressors during the pandemic and to rate these stressors from not a stressor to extreme stressor Some of the top significant or extreme stressors for SMBO respondents during the pandemic were Insufficient personal protective equipment PPE Fears of spreading COVID 19 Lack of quality time with loved ones Being too tired 52 1 in 5 SMBO respondents experienced unemployment being furloughed or laid off during the pandemic of SMBO respondents indicated that they did not feel personally acknowledged for the challenges they faced due to the pandemic OHIOPHP COVID 19 WELL BEING SURVEY STATE MEDICAL BOARD OF OHIO SUMMARY 2022 05

DID YOU GET ADEQUATE REST FROM YOUR JOB 50 40 30 49 20 10 0 Yes No 44 N A No Response 242 of SMBO respondents surveyed indicated their workload increased or significantly increased during the pandemic increase in the number of SMBO respondents who never felt like they were accomplishing worthwhile things during the pandemic versus prior STRESSORS DURING THE PANDEMIC 100 75 50 69 84 75 73 25 0 Insufficient PPE Spreading Covid 19 Lack of quality time with friends and family OHIOPHP COVID 19 WELL BEING SURVEY STATE MEDICAL BOARD OF OHIO SUMMARY 2022 Too tired 06

SEEKING SUPPORT OhioPHP supports the health and wellness of healthcare professionals to enhance patient care and safety through connection to resources and services OhioPHP aims for healthcare professionals to receive confidential and compassionate support to improve their health and well being Survey results provided insight into how few professionals accessed such support despite indicating mental health concerns Survey data indicate that healthcare providers are exhausted both physically and mentally They are stressed both at work and home Survey respondents indicated an increase in depression and hopelessness during the pandemic as well as thoughts of suicide and concerns about substance use Yet only 1 in 5 sought emotional or mental health support and 81 of SMBO respondents said they did NOT receive any type of screening assessment or monitoring at work regarding the stressors they faced specifically due to the pandemic Only 1 in 5 SMBO respondents sought emotional support during the pandemic SMBO respondents were less likely than healthcare professionals licensed by other boards to seek emotional support OHIOPHP COVID 19 WELL BEING SURVEY STATE MEDICAL BOARD OF OHIO SUMMARY 2022 07

OBSTACLES TO SEEKING SUPPORT Respondents who indicated that they did not seek emotional services during the pandemic were asked to identify obstacles to seeking assistance Below are examples of obstacles identified 53 Time commitment 39 36 Did not know where to turn for support Confidentiality concerns 29 Fear of regulatory board taking or restricting license LIKELIHOOD TO PARTICIPATE LIKELIHOOD TO PARTICIPATE IN EAP 50 Percentage of Respondents Respondents were asked Does your workplace offer a program to address mental health concerns e g Employee Assistance Program EAP More than half 52 of respondents indicated that their workplace did offer a program while 29 indicated their workplace did not 40 30 20 10 0 Very Unlikely Very Likely IN CONCLUSION As expected overall well being worsened during the pandemic But data show that many healthcare professionals were already experiencing significant health and well being challenges prior to the pandemic We hope these findings can be used to find ways to support and improve the lives of healthcare professionals during both pandemic and non pandemic times OHIOPHP COVID 19 WELL BEING SURVEY STATE MEDICAL BOARD OF OHIO SUMMARY 2022 08

A COMPARISON OF PHYSICIANS TO RESIDENT PHYSICIANS In a comparison of physicians with resident physicians results showed statistically significant differences between the two While effect sizes were small data suggests that resident physicians may be at increased risk for burnout and need additional training and support to prevent and remedy burnout particularly under high stress conditions The Mann Whitney U Test was used to analyze these results Resident Physicians were Resident Physicians were to report feeling down depressed or hopeless more often prior to the pandemic to report having suicidal thoughts more often during the pandemic more likely more likely Resident Physicians were more likely to report feeling emotionally drained more often not caring what happens to patients more often and accomplishing worthwhile things less often both prior to and during the pandemic OHIOPHP COVID 19 WELL BEING SURVEY STATE MEDICAL BOARD OF OHIO SUMMARY 2022 09

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS We must thank those who worked tirelessly on this project and afforded us the ability to collect and capture the stories of Ohio s healthcare workers OhioPHP s Board of Directors Our Funders Federation of State Medical Boards Foundation Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services And a special thanks to our researchers at Mighty Crow Media Gretchen Clark Hammond PhD MSW LSW LCDCIII TTS Robert Santucci PRh Rebecca J McCloskey PhD MSW LISW S Kathleen Gallant BA Without you this would not be possible CONTACT If you would like to learn more about this project or schedule a meeting with the OhioPHP team please contact Sarah Damiani sdamiani ophp org 614 841 9690 x34 OHIOPHP COVID 19 WELL BEING SURVEY STATE MEDICAL BOARD OF OHIO SUMMARY 2022 10

Ohio Physicians Health Program 130 E Chestnut Street Suite 200 Columbus Ohio 43215 614 841 9690 www ophp org Supporting Ohio s Healthcare Professionals since 1995