Seventy percent of medical support workers are experiencing moderate to severe levels of burnout, with 32 percent reporting it as high or severe, according to a survey conducted by digital health communications company Artera.
The 2022 "State of Clinical Support Staff" report, published Dec. 20, surveyed more than 300 clinical support staff members, including nurses, physician assistants, receptionists and other medical workers, on how this year's healthcare trends affected staff.
Four more key findings from the survey:
- Thirty-three percent of care staff reported that their burnout negatively affected the quality of care provided to patients.
- Forty-one percent said their burnout was noticed by a patient.
- Forty-three percent reported that on at least one occasion, poor patient communication processes negatively affected a patient's health.
- Forty-eight percent reported texting and digitally communicating with patients more often than previous years.
Despite the increased frequency of digital patient communication, many clinical support staff reported benefits of digital patient correspondence, including increased patient engagement and improved access to care for underserved patients.