Impact and responses of safety net practices in 20 states to the COVID-19 pandemic, as experienced by frontline clinicians
Investigator: Donald Pathman, MD, MPH
Objective: This study examined how the pandemic has affected clinicians that serve low-income, racial and ethnic minority communities through safety-net practices, including clinicians participating in the National Health Services Corps (NHSC).
Methods: Using a national sample of safety-net health care practitioners (including physical, dental and behavioral health providers) across 20 states, the study conducted a survey to understand the experiences of these clinicians during the pandemic (October 2020 to January 2021).
Findings: Of the 1,518 participants, three-quarters (76.6%) of the safety-net clinicians scored in at-risk levels for burn-out. Physical and behavioral health providers reported more symptoms of burnout. Yet, dental providers were more likely to be furloughed or to have reduced hours.
Policy Implications: Like the patient population they serve, safety-net clinicians have experienced disrupted work, burn-out, and related mental health challenges. National programs and policies should ensure safety-net practices build cultures of support and prioritize clinicians’ work and their mental health needs.
- Pathman DE, Sonis J, Rauner TE, et al. Moral distress among clinicians working in US safety net practices during the COVID-19 pandemic: a mixed methods study. Open 2022;12:e061369. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2022-061369
- Pathman DE, Sonis J, Harrison JN, Sewell RG, Fannell J, Overbeck M, Konrad TR. Experiences of Safety-Net Practice Clinicians Participating in the National Health Service Corps During the COVID-19 Pandemic. Public Health Reports. 2022 Jan;137(1):149-62.
- Pathman DE, Sonis J, Fannell J, Study Steering Committee. Survey of the Pandemic Experiences and Effects on Clinicians in Safety Net Practices in 20 States Interim Report with early response data. Carolina Health Workforce Research Center, Cecil G. Sheps Center for Health Services Research, UNC-CH, Interim policy report, January 20, 2021
- Pathman D, Sonis J, Fannell, J. Data Substantiating Recommendations to HRSA in “Supporting National Health Service Corps and Other Safety Net Clinicians Facing Personal and Professional Challenges due to COVID-19” Data Report to HRSA. February 5, 2021.
- Lombardi, B. COVID-19’s Impact on Safety Net Providers and Frontline Health Workforce in the US. International Health Workforce Collaborative Annual Meeting. May 4, 2022.
- Pathman DE. Pandemic Experiences for Clinicians in Safety Net Practices. New Mexico Health Care Work Force Advisory Committee, University of New Mexico. Invited presentation. May 6, 2021.
- Pathman DE. Pandemic Experiences for Clinicians in Safety Net Practices. New Mexico Health Care Workforce Committee. Invited presentation. April 12, 2021.