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SAN ANTONIO
MEDICINE

profession that is above a certain “standard.”
Whether it was intentional or not, we have
been bred and conditioned to obtain perfec-
tion.¹0 From undergraduate science classes to
the Medical College Admissions Test
(MCAT) and medical school class rankings −
we’ve been taught that perfection is what we
should strive for.¹0 So, when human error oc-
curs in the hospital, like it inevitably will, peo-
ple play the name, shame and blame game.¹0
People are punished for their honest mistakes
and these honest mistakes increase substan-
tially when our healthcare teams are under-
staffed and healthcare workers are overworked
and burnt out, which has increased due to the
COVID-19 pandemic. to redesign healthcare delivery by prioritizing identify burnout.
the most urgent patients with the most acute • Hospital systems must integrate mental
Misdiagnosis conditions, and rescheduling patients with health services like counseling, chaplain serv-
According to the Agency for Healthcare chronic conditions and elective surgeries for ices, accommodations in work schedules and
Research and Quality,¹¹ the presence of later appointment times and dates.¹¹ The fear community support for healthcare workers.¹²
COVID-19 in our communities increases the of patient safety and COVID-19 transmission • Involve healthcare workers in the process
risk of misdiagnosis in patients with respira- has facilitated delays in preventative care, gen- of developing, integrating and evaluating
tory illnesses. For example, if a patient comes eral checkups and screening procedures.¹¹ We measures to help identify burnout.¹²
into the emergency room with a respiratory will feel the impact that COVID-19 has had • Encourage reflection and blame-free en-
illness presenting with COVID-19-like symp- on our healthcare system for a very long time. vironments for healthcare workers to share
toms and the hospital is unable to see that pa- The effects will pop up in places we least ex- their experiences.¹³
tient until they get a COVID test, that patient pect. For example, the World Health Organi- • Eliminate the stigma associated with men-
may experience a delayed diagnosis of a non- zation estimates that over 20 million routine tal health-related illness.7
COVID-19 condition. The COVID-19 pan- preventive vaccinations will be missed due to • Hospital leadership must show their ap-
demic has shifted the decision-making the pandemic.¹¹ The fear of COVID-19 trans- preciation, support and spread words of en-
processes of the healthcare system: if a patient mission and delayed patient care has not only couragement.¹²
presents with COVID-like symptoms, it is as- increased the volume of patients in the inten- • Encourage healthcare team meetings or
sumed that they have COVID until proven sive care unit but will continue to negatively check-ins to facilitate constant communica-
otherwise.¹¹ Patients who present with affect patients looking for preventative care tion, team building, trust and a stronger sense
COVID-like symptoms do not always have and patients with chronic health issues look- of support.¹²
COVID.¹¹ Misdiagnosis perpetuated by the ing for continuation of care.¹¹ COVID-19 has • Monitor fatigue, stress and sleep via mo-
magnitude of the pandemic can delay patient unraveled the structure of our healthcare sys- bile health tools. ¹²
care and inevitably lead to increased progres- tem and its processes. Without proper mitiga-
sion of non-COVID illnesses.¹¹ tion, structural changes and policy updates, The pandemic has caused frustration,
our healthcare system and communities could burnout and loss of passion among many
Delayed patient care/fear of COVID-19 suffer the greatest impact. physicians and other healthcare workers. A
transmission change must be made to decrease burnout and
The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly What can be done to prevent and optimize patient care and safety. Happy,
impacted the delivery of health care in the identify burnout? healthy physicians are more likely to deliver
United States. As we continue to fight to flat- The following list is suggested from our lit- the quality care that patients deserve.
ten the curve, healthcare administrators, erature review that expanded on how we can
healthcare workers and frontline staff have had support healthcare workers to prevent and continued on page 30

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