The global pandemic has turned the world upside down. Its impact has been felt in every community and nation, and life has changed for billions of people. The primary effect of it has been the deaths of millions and the illnesses of many millions more. Economic uncertainty has also been a big part of it, and political turmoil has come about because of it in many places. However, how COVID-19 has impacted healthcare might be where it has struck the deepest.
The immediate and direct impact of the pandemic on the healthcare system has played itself out quite obviously. ICU wards filled up fast, with no beds available in many areas. Doctors, nurses, and technicians must now wear personal protective equipment all the time at work. Elective surgeries and screenings have been postponed in many places, and many patients have adapted to telehealth or virtual visits instead of going into their doctors’ offices.
However, the indirect and delayed impact is happening in far more subtle layers. Together, they may add up to $200 billion in extra annual costs for the American healthcare system. There may already be cases of mammograms being delayed resulting in missed cases of breast cancer that are killing patients that could have otherwise been treated.
Some hospitals are having to take extraordinary steps of actually putting out public warnings for local citizens not to come into their emergency rooms. Some people reportedly wait in the parking lot for up to 20 hours before getting care. While these anecdotal cases are the worst examples, the fact that such things are happening anywhere would have been unfathomable just a few years ago.
The biggest impact might just be on healthcare workers and professionals themselves. So much was unknown about this virus at first, and a lot is still being discovered along the way. In that time, they’ve seen many patients get sick or die, and the constant stress and trauma are taking a toll on a profession that was never easy to start with.
The possibility of burnout is very real, and some are expediting their career plans to move on to other things or just quit. Replacements are moving up the ranks, but they may not fill the needs and openings that are being created.