Date Presented 04/13/21
This study explored OT practitioners' experiences during the early stages of the 2019 coronavirus pandemic. Preliminary results showed that participants were working with infected patients, reported increased signs and symptoms of professional burnout, and professional ethics were or may have been compromised. More research is needed to determine if the results of this study are short term or will be an ongoing issue in professional practice as the pandemic progresses.
Primary Author and Speaker: Nicole Kuhl
Contributing Authors: Lisa Connor, Marjorie Nicholas
PURPOSE: In February and March of 2020, health care delivery in the United States experienced a major disruption due to the first case of the 2019 coronavirus (COVID 19) which was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization. The purpose of this study was to gain an understanding of the experiences of occupational therapy practitioners in the United States during the COVID 19 pandemic.
DESIGN: This mixed methods study surveyed participants about their experiences as occupational therapy practitioners during the early stages of the COVID 19 pandemic. The participants were recruited via AOTA forums from April 15 to June 3, 2020. Participants met the following inclusion criteria: AOTA members, licensed occupational therapist or occupational therapy assistant, employed in the United States, and currently practicing. Exclusion criteria included those who were not licensed occupational therapists or occupational therapy assistants, who were retired or not currently working, and who do not currently practice in the United States.
METHODS: Participants consented to complete a Qualtrics survey. Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics in SPSS. Qualitative data were hand-coded and themes were identified. The survey consisted of 22 quantitative questions using descriptive and ordinal data and 2 qualitative questions which were open-ended responses.
RESULTS: Eighty participants responded to the survey. Seventy-nine met inclusion criteria. Preliminary results showed that 39% of participants were treating people with COVID 19 and 14% were unsure. Of the 79 participants, only 8 were tested for COVID 19. Thirty-nine percent of participants felt they did not have access to the personal protective equipment (PPE) necessary to complete their job safely. Sixteen percent of participants felt their professional ethics had been compromised and an additional 13% felt their professional ethics may have been compromised. With regard to data collected on professional burnout, participants reported 47% felt tired most of the time, 39% noticed a change in appetite or sleep routine, 41% had feelings of helplessness or hopelessness, 42% loss of motivation, 51% experienced reduced job satisfaction or usefulness, and 32% used alcohol, tobacco, drugs, or food to cope. Qualitative data analysis related to employer responses revealed themes of lack of preparedness, limited PPE, and inadequate communication. Qualitative data analysis related to self-care revealed themes of physical activity, coping mechanisms to manage psychological symptoms, and maintaining social connections.
CONCLUSION: Results of this survey indicated that COVID 19 had a profound impact on occupational therapy practice during the early stages of the pandemic. A majority of the participants reported they were treating patients with COVID 19. In addition, participants reported increased signs and symptoms of professional burnout. Results showed that COVID 19 may have a lasting effect on occupational therapy practitioners' job performance due to the high percentage of participants reporting loss of motivation and reduced job satisfaction.
IMPACT STATEMENT: Results of this study may be used to better understand the impact of COVID 19 on occupational therapy practitioners. An alarming finding was that 29% of participants reported that their ethics were or may have been compromised during the initial stages of the pandemic. More research is needed to determine whether the results of this study are short-term or will be an ongoing issue in professional practice. These findings suggest that occupational therapy practitioners may be at increased risk for professional burnout, and may face ethical dilemmas as the pandemic progresses.
References
Adams, J. G., & Walls, R. M. (2020). Supporting the health care workforce during the COVID-19 global epidemic. JAMA. Published online March 12, 2020. https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2020.3972
Edwards, H., & Dirette, D. (2010). The relationship between professional identity and burnout among occupational therapists. Occupational Therapy In Health Care, 24, 119-129. https://doi.org/10.3109/07380570903329610
Huang, Y., Kim, H., Le, M., Marinez, J., Martin, J., Maghen, E., & Leisek, W. (2019). Predictors and risk factors of compassion satisfaction, burnout, and compassion fatigue among OTs. The American Journal of Occupational Therapy, Vol. 73, No. 4 Supplement 1, August 2019. https://doi.org/10.5014/ajot.2019.73S1-PO6010
