Frontline healthcare workers’ lived experiences of healthcare work during the COVID-19 pandemic

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic changed the face of modern healthcare, with impacts felt by staff and organisations alike. Globally, hospital-based healthcare workers have identified increased stress, anxiety, insomnia, and reduced wellbeing related to their work roles. Hospitals have been plagued by increased demand, poor staff retention and a reduction in the working hours of remaining staff. This paper sought to explore the unique experiences of frontline healthcare workers (FHWs) with parenting responsibilities working in Australian hospitals during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: Thirty-nine FHWs with parenting responsibilities from Australian public hospitals were interviewed from October 2020 and February 2021. Reflexive thematic analysis was used to interrogate transcripts arising from extended interviews with participants regarding their experiences with healthcare work and the workplace support they received during the COVID-19 pandemic. RESULTS: Key themes indicate that workplace changes during the early stages of the pandemic were rapid and placed significant burden on healthcare staff and leaders, impacting their physical, mental and social health. Support from leaders was seen as protective for staff but placed an additional burden on staff in leadership roles. Additionally, when leaders considered family safety and were flexible when family demands surged, staff reported better wellbeing and feelings of support. While staff felt a sense of pride in their role during this time and were motivated by family members, they reported reduced career enjoyment and were concerned about long-term mental health consequences. CONCLUSIONS: The challenges and fatigue associated with healthcare work during a pandemic can impact FHWs in varied ways. However, findings during the COVID-19 pandemic sheds light on important areas that can be bolstered and enhanced during pandemic planning that can prevent negative impacts in future pandemics. KEY MESSAGES: • The COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated how a pandemic significantly impact healthcare roles and the wellbeing of staff, indicating a need for better pandemic planning in the future. • Important factors to consider during future pandemic planning are proper management of workplace changes, managing staff's work life balance and family safety, and enhancing support from leaders.