Toward Unity and Inclusion in the Clinical Workplace: An Evaluation of Healthcare Workforce Belonging During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Introduction: In a challenging time for the healthcare workforce responding to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, it is critical to identify factors contributing to team members' feelings of “belonging” in the workplace. The Institute for Healthcare Improvement’s Quintuple Aim’s principle of improving healthcare worker well-being could be applied to explore the implications of the increased turnover and stress, which connect to components of belonging. This study applies a qualitative approach to the organizational issues impacting healthcare teams, particularly during a complex and uncertain time. Methods: To elucidate factors contributing to belonging, we conducted a series of semi-structured interviews with an interdisciplinary cross-sectional sample of healthcare workers. Interviews were conducted with 23 total staff members in two clinical settings, the emergency department and hospital medicine groups at a large urban teaching hospital, to evaluate team members’ perspectives of the work environment. Results: Participants discuss their degree of inclusion, excitement, challenges, and respective needs from the organization. Perspectives of workers representing varied professional roles of the healthcare team were gathered to provide robust and unique insights into initiatives that can enhance belonging in the clinical workplace. Conclusion: Our findings provide a preliminary framework to identify strategies that can potentially reinforce collective team member belonging and consequently improve staff well-being, morale, and retention.