New York – April 7, 2020 – In the face of COVID-19, a new survey from Bain & Company suggests that 75 percent of frontline healthcare workers in the US are very concerned about their own health and safety. They report even greater concern about exposing their families. The majority of these clinicians nationwide are responsible for self-monitoring their own symptoms. Despite a wide-ranging set of operational changes underway, clinicians report low adoption of measures such as mental health resources to manage anxiety and staggering shifts to reduce risk of infection. Along with exposure risks, the top concern among clinicians is having adequate resources to care for patients safely.

These are the findings from Bain & Company’s sixth annual Front Line of Healthcare report. The report surveyed over 300 physicians and nurses nationwide, who are on the front lines of medical care providers fighting COVID-19.

“This report is the result of a recent pulse check we conducted with medical providers to determine COVID-19 preparedness and sentiment among US hospitals and urban epicenters,” said Joshua Weisbrod, a partner with Bain & Company and head of the firm’s Americas Healthcare practice. “With the world’s attention focused on these frontline heroes, we wanted to hear directly from them about what they need most to manage this pandemic. We found physicians and nurses across the nation agree that isolating treatment and testing areas, and increasing the use of telehealth services, will be the most important activities for providers.”

With 95 percent of elective procedures cancelled and 80 percent of providers reporting increased use of telehealth services, according to the survey, healthcare centers are racing to increase their ICU capacity ahead of the diseases’ peak in their respective areas. ICU capacity expansion varies drastically by city, with 75 percent of providers expanding capacity in New York City and less than 50 percent reporting this in Chicago.

Bain & Company’s clinician survey shows the best ways hospitals can support frontline workers, including the following steps:

• Reinforcements: Frontline providers want reinforcements. Redeployment of medical specialists to the frontlines and telehealth for remote care will alleviate some of the understaffed critical areas of hospitals. Training for redeployment is the number one thing medical specialists say they need in order to help.
• Flexible operating models: Including staggered shifts to limit exposure, a flexible operating model will help specialists gear up to redeploy to the front line.
• Better communications: Hospitals need to ensure that all front line workers are receiving consistent and clear communications to cut down on confusion and anxiety. Supporting clinicians operationally, as well as mentally, will be key to managing the pandemic.

The study shows clinicians in New York leading the way on implementing critical activities, and other cities are following closely behind. As a result, clinicians in Boston and Chicago are ahead of the curve, reporting that they feel more prepared than their peers in other cities.

“In this stressful and logistically challenging time, it is important to keep the needs of healthcare workers front and center,” said Michael Brookshire, a partner with Bain & Company’s healthcare practice. “Supporting them through this time of crisis is one major way to reduce the impacts of the pandemic. We intend to monitor sentiments from the front line over the coming weeks to ensure their voices are being heard and informing key decisions across the industry.”

Editor’s Note: To schedule an interview with Mr. Weisbrod or Mr. Brookshire, please contact Katie Ware at katie.ware@bain.com or +1 646-562-8107.

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