WATERTOWN, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Corroborating US CDC data and multiple third-party studies, a report on the mental health of healthcare professionals (HCPs) in six Western nations shows that chronic staffing shortages are impacting both patient care and patient mental health, as well as physician mental health. A third (34%) of responding physicians say they have observed an increase in medical errors as a result of staff shortages—at a high of 58% in Spain. Three-quarters of doctors surveyed say their patients are also worrying about the quality or safety of their care, and 58% say staffing related issues impact patient mental health.

More than half of physicians report feeling frustrated (65%), burnt out (54%), and unappreciated (52%) in the past three months. Over 50% of them are so impacted by chronic stress that they say they have considered leaving their profession in the past three months.

Data are from Survey Healthcare Global (SHG), a brand of Apollo Intelligence (Apollo) and were sourced February 14-16, 2022 from six of the most pandemic-impacted medical specialties in the US, UK, France, Germany, Italy and Spain.

“SHG’s data, derived from the voice and firsthand experiences of HCPs, paint a troubling picture of the global healthcare system at a time when aging demographics worldwide are demanding more healthcare resources,” said Daniel S. Fitzgerald, CEO of Apollo, parent to SHG. “When physicians voice such strong concern about medical errors and the quality of patient care, healthcare leaders must take notice and redouble efforts to address the root causes of the staffing shortage. Apollo has been closely tracking physician stresses and experience from the onset of the pandemic, and we’ll continue to report key learnings on this important issue.”

A Chronically Downtrodden HCP Community

Three-quarters of physicians around the world report feeling stressed by the staffing shortage. For the top contributors to their strained mental health, respondents rank constant stress (34%) and staff shortages (30%) as the leading factors. Eighteen percent report that they are more likely to drink, smoke, or use/abuse substances as a result. Yet nearly 75% say their organizations do not offer any wellness resources and programs to HCP employees.

While COVID is regarded as the biggest reason for staff shortages by respondents in five of six nations, burnout is the second largest cause, cited by between 26% and 40% depending on country—and the largest cause in Germany. However, 40% of respondents say that healthcare staffing shortages originated well before the pandemic.

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