The Evolving Role of the Chief Wellness Officer in the Management of Crises by Health Care Systems: Lessons from the Covid-19 Pandemic
Authors
Brower, Kirk J.Brazeau, Chantal M.L.R.
Kiely, Sharon C.
Lawrence, Elizabeth C.
Farley, Heather
Berliner, Jennifer I.
Bird, Steven B.
Ripp, Jonathan
Shanafelt, Tait
UMass Chan Affiliations
Department of Emergency MedicineDocument Type
Journal ArticlePublication Date
2021-05-01Keywords
Covid-19 pandemicclinician burnout
clinician well-being
health care organizations
HCOs
Chief Wellness Officer
CWO
Health and Medical Administration
Infectious Disease
Occupational Health and Industrial Hygiene
Virus Diseases
Metadata
Show full item recordAbstract
Even before the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, clinician burnout was a recognized occupational syndrome and a driver of suboptimal patient care. National calls for system-level interventions to improve clinician well-being led some health care organizations (HCOs) to appoint a Chief Wellness Officer (CWO). By incorporating CWOs into the emergency command structure, these HCOs were equipped to identify and address health care worker needs throughout the pandemic. CWOs learned important lessons regarding how HCOs can best address workforce well-being in the midst of a crisis. Key CWO contributions include identifying evolving sources of worker anxiety, deploying support resources, participating in operational decision-making, and assessing the impact of fluid pandemic protocols on clinician well-being. As HCOs seek to promote posttraumatic growth, attention to the well-being of the workforce should be incorporated into emergency management protocols with the goal of sustaining a resilient health care workforce.Source
Brower KJ, Brazeau CM, Kiely SC, Lawrence EC, Farley H, Berliner JI, Bird SB, Ripp J, Shanafelt T. The Evolving Role of the Chief Wellness Officer in the Management of Crises by Health Care Systems: Lessons from the Covid-19 Pandemic. NEJM Catalyst Innovations in Care Delivery. 2021 Apr 21;2(5). DOI: https://doi.org/10.1056/CAT.20.0612.
DOI
10.1056/CAT.20.0612Permanent Link to this Item
http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14038/27518ae974a485f413a2113503eed53cd6c53
10.1056/CAT.20.0612