American health care workers are facing a mental health crisis intensified by rising harassment that spiked during the Covid pandemic, according to an official report published Tuesday.
Between 2018 and 2022, more than double the number of doctors, nurses and others reported harassment at work either from patients or coworkers which increased rates of anxiety, depression and burnout, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said.
Documented incidents of harassment including threats, bullying and verbal abuse rose sharply during the pandemic, with health professionals 50 per cent more likely than other community members to be targeted, according to a prior study in BMJ Open, a medical journal.
"We depend on our nation's health workers, and they must be supported," said CDC Chief Medical Officer Debra Houry in a statement about the new study which surveyed more than 500 health care workers.
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