Well-Being of Health Care Professionals Treating Opioid Use Disorder During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Results From a National Survey

• Authors: Derek Blevins, Columbia University Irving Medical Center; Brandy F. Henry, Columbia University Irving Medical Center; Minhee Sung, Columbia University Irving Medical Center; E. Jennifer Edelman, Columbia University Irving Medical Center; Anne C. Black, Columbia University Irving Medical Center; Michael Dawes, Columbia University Irving Medical Center; Todd Molfenter, Columbia University Irving Medical Center; Holly Hagle, Columbia University Irving Medical Center; Karen Drexler, Emory University; Kathryn Cates-Wessel, Columbia University Irving Medical Center; Frances R. Levin, Columbia University Irving Medical Center
• Journal Title: Psychiatric services (Washington, D.C.)
• Volume: Volume 73, Number 4
• Publisher: American Psychiatric Association Publishing | 2022-04-01, Pages 374-380
• Type of Work: Article | Post-print: After Peer Review
• Publisher DOI: http://doi.org/10.1176/appi.ps.202100080
• Subjects: Biology, Virology; Gender Studies; Health Sciences, Health Care Management
• Keywords: Alcohol and drug abuse; Burnout; COVID-19; Coronavirus; Health care worker; Well-being; Burnout, Professional; COVID-19; Cross-Sectional Studies; Health Personnel; Humans; Male; Opioid-Related Disorders; Pandemics; SARS-CoV-2; Surveys and Questionnaires

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: The COVID-19 pandemic has dramatically affected health care delivery, effects that are juxtaposed with health care professional (HCP) burnout and mental distress. The Opioid Use Disorder Provider COVID-19 Survey was conducted to better understand the impact of COVID-19 on clinical practice and HCP well-being. METHODS: The cross-sectional survey was e-mailed to listservs with approximately 157,000 subscribers of diverse professions between July 14 and August 15, 2020. Two dependent variables evaluated HCP functioning and work-life balance. Independent variables assessed organizational practices and HCP experiences. Covariates included participant demographic characteristics, addiction board certification, and practice setting. Multilevel multivariate logistic regression models were used. RESULTS: Among 812 survey respondents, most were men, White, and physicians, with 46% located in urban settings. Function-impairing anxiety was reported by 17%, and 28% reported more difficulty with work-life balance. Difficulty with functioning was positively associated with having staff who were sick with COVID-19 and feeling close to patients, and was negatively associated with being male and having no staff changes. Difficulty with work-life balance was positively associated with addiction board certification; working in multiple settings; having layoffs, furloughs, or reduced hours; staff illness with COVID-19; and group well-being check-ins. It was negatively associated with male gender, older age, and no staff changes. CONCLUSIONS: Demographic, provider, and organizational-practice variables were associated with reporting negative measures of well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic. These results should inform HCPs and their organizations on factors that may lead to burnout, with particular focus on gender and age-related concerns and the role of well-being check-ins.