# 3540
Admittedly, this survey was conducted before the arrival of the novel H1N1 virus, and so it may not exactly represent HCW sentiment today.
But unlike other polls we’ve seen that assumed a severe pandemic, this one is based on `any severity level’.
First the study, and the press release, then some commentary.
Published 24 Jul 2009 PLoS One
Daniel J. Barnett, Ran D. Balicer, Carol B. Thompson, J. Douglas Storey, Saad B. Omer, Natalie L. Semon, Steve Bayer, Lorraine V. Cheek, Kerry W. Gateley, Kathryn M. Lanza, Jane A. Norbin, Catherine C. Slemp, Jonathan M. Links
Public release date: 24-Jul-2009
Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health1 in 6 public health workers unlikely to respond in pandemic flu emergency
Approximately 1 in 6 public health workers said they would not report to work during a pandemic flu emergency regardless of its severity, according to a survey led by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. The findings are a significant improvement over a 2005 study conducted by the same research team, in which more than 40 percent of public health employees said they were unlikely to report to work during a pandemic emergency. The new study suggests ways for improving the response of the public health workforce. The results are published in the July 24 edition of the journal PLoS ONE.
"Employee response is a critical component of preparedness planning, yet it is often overlooked. Our study is an attempt to understand the underlying factors that determine an employee's willingness to respond in an emergency," said Daniel Barnett, MD, MPH, lead author of the study and assistant professor in the Department of Environmental Health Sciences at the Bloomberg School of Public Health. "Overall, 16 percent of the workers surveyed said they would not report regardless of the severity of the outbreak."
According to this study, the respondents were mostly professionals, with considerable expertise and longevity at their current place of employment.
Most respondents were female (81%), over 40 years of age (72%), had at least a Bachelors' degree (73%), worked in their present organization for at least five years (64%), were in their profession for 10 or more years (58%), perceived having a role in responding to a public health emergency (84%), and had a family member dependent on them (67%).
The primary finding from this survey is that the more important, or vital, a HCW believes their job to be, the more likely they are to work during a pandemic.
Even so, 1 in 6 felt they would not be willing to work in any type of pandemic scenario.
Perhaps an even bigger implication is what choices will be made by employees who are lower paid, more transient, or perceive their roles to be less important than HCWs directly involved in patient care.
If housekeeping, maintenance, security, nutritional services, lab, or even clerical help decide not to work in a pandemic, then the entire hospital operation is endangered.
The recent uproar over a lack of proper PPE’s for nurses in California has only served to highlight some of the challenges facing hospitals and other care providers during a pandemic.
Over the past 3 years I’ve covered this subject often, with a few previous posts including:
And The New Survey Says . . .
Pandemic Issues For Home Health Providers - Pt 3
Previous polls and studies have show that,depending upon the severity of a pandemic, the availability of PPEs (Personal Protective Equipment like respirators, gowns, gloves), antivirals, and vaccinations the percentage of HCWs willing to work has run from about 85% to less than 50%.
To this deficit, you would then have to add absenteeism due to illness, or caring for a loved one at home with the flu.
All of which means that Hospitals, clinics, and other healthcare providers need to be looking at ways to make it easier for HCWs to say `yes’, when it comes to working during a pandemic.
Prime among these moves should be ensuring an adequate supply of PPEs, having antivirals available (and a promise of treatment) for workers and their families, and full disclosure to their staff regarding the dangers, and steps being taken to protect them, from the pandemic.
Anything less and hospitals are likely to find themselves in the unenviable position of trying to operate with a very small fraction of their normal staff.
