The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on healthcare workers

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to examine the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on healthcare workers’ perception of job pressure as well as their anxiety and depression levels.

Design/methodology/approach

Survey data were collected from 109 healthcare workers enrolled in two MBA courses in Healthcare Human Resources Management at a university in the Southern USA, respectively, Fall 2020 and Fall 2021. A path analysis was conducted to test a model of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on healthcare workers’ perception of job pressure as well as their anxiety and depression levels.

Findings

The study results showed treatment of COVID-19 patients led to increased work hours for healthcare workers; changes in work hours and work methods were related to healthcare workers’ perception of job pressure; healthcare workers perceptions of job pressure were positively related to their anxiety levels; organizational support was negatively related to healthcare workers’ anxiety levels; and healthcare workers’ anxiety levels were positively related to their depression levels.

Originality/value

Findings from the tested model provide support for the Job Demands-Resources model in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Citation

Wang, L. and Welbourne, J. (2024), "The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on healthcare workers", International Journal of Organizational Analysis, Vol. ahead-of-print No. ahead-of-print. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJOA-05-2024-4517