Employee Perceptions of a Clinical Department's Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic

During the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States in 2020, hospital systems faced significant challenges, including high patient demand, a lack of resources, and the rapidly evolving safety mandates that necessitated new clinical protocols. However, the perceptions of healthcare workers regarding the effectiveness of their departments and management approaches have not been well described.

Thirty semistructured interviews were conducted with healthcare workers in a single clinical department at a pediatric tertiary care hospital in October 2020, 6 months after the issuance of the state-of-emergency order for the pandemic. Thematic analysis was used to identify and differentiate key insights related to both effective and ineffective practice changes that emerged during this period.

The transition to remote work during the COVID-19 pandemic was marked by challenges related to technological adaptation and data security, mitigated in part by proactive logistical support, incorporation of department-wide virtual meetings, and a dedicated task force. Changes in healthcare access practices were necessitated by rapidly evolving guidelines, resulting in innovative patient care approaches. Nevertheless, the blurred boundaries between personal and professional lives exacerbated stress and burnout among personnel, necessitating leadership intervention to reaffirm work-time boundaries and promote strategic task prioritization.

Instituting consistent channels of communication is instrumental in offering support and disseminating information to employees. Actively maintaining boundaries and prioritizing work-life balance prevents negative impacts on employee mental health. Healthcare entities should invest in strengthening workplace culture and ensuring that these competencies are integrated into practice beyond crisis situations.