The year of 2020 has notably been stressful, with the emerging and maintaining of COVID-19, as well as, the increased discussion of racial injustice in communities. According to the American Psychological Association (APA), 8 in 10 adults said COVID-19 was a significant source of stress (2019). Additionally, the APA reported that the majority of adults (59%) said police violence at this time directed toward minorities is a significant source of personal stress (e.g. George Floyd, Breonna Taylor). With increased stress, there is an increased likelihood of individuals experiencing burnout. Burnout amongst healthcare providers has been well documented (Shanafelt, et al., 2017; Hoff, et al., 2019); it has also been described as an “occupational phenomenon” (World Health Organization, 2019). According to the ICD-11, burnout is defined as “a syndrome conceptualized as resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed…characterized by three dimensions: feelings of energy depletion or exhaustion; increased mental distance from one’s job, or feelings of negativism or cynicism related to one’s job; and reduced professional efficacy” (World Health Organization, 2019). Burnout in healthcare providers has been associated with increased errors in patient treatment, lower patient satisfaction of treatment, reduced productivity, and difficulties in interpersonal relationships (Patel, et al., 2019). Little is known about the immediate effects of COVID-19 on burnout in primary care providers, nor what the additional impact of working with racially diverse patients amongst increased discussion of racial injustice has on developing burnout symptoms. This program evaluation looks to evaluate primary care providers working in primary care clinics in an urban community in Kentucky. As of October 2020, this community had been disproportionately impacted by COVID-19, as the area had higher infection rates (10-12%) than other areas of Jefferson County, Kentucky (2-4%) (Yetter & Schneider, 2020). This urban community is made up of predominantly people of color in comparison to other neighborhoods within this community (Price, 2013). This community has also been in the nation’s spotlight regarding the fight for racial justice. One hundred primary care providers (identified as physicians and nurse practitioners) at three separate primary care facilities will be asked to partake in an online course discussing burnout. Each provider will be surveyed to recall their well-being during the initial COVID-19 outbreak and asked about their experience with symptoms of burnout via the Burnout Measure (Bacharach, Bamberger, and Conley, 1991). This presentation will include coverage in the following topics: brief introduction to burnout (e.g. what is burnout, what causes burnout), how this impacts work with patients, and how to alleviate burnout individually and as a group practice. Upon completion, a post-survey will be administered to analyze providers understanding of burnout. It is hypothesized that providers will report greater prevalence of burnout as an effect of COVID-19 and racial injustice in their community. It is also hypothesized that providers will display a better understanding of burnout and prevention measures after the course.
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