Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39352947›Full record

ArticleJournal of health services research & policy2025

Health care providers' perceptions of burnout and moral distress during the COVID-19 pandemic: A qualitative study from Saskatchewan, Canada.

Jacob Albin Korem Alhassan, Noelle Rohatinsky, Taylor Peru, Carmen Levandoski, Dennis Kendel, Jeff Dmytrowich, Tenille Lafontaine, Matthew Cardinal, Juan Nicolás Peña-Sánchez

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Article in Journal of health services research & policy, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.

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0cells of the map it votes in
4citing papers in PubMed
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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

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2 · The registry

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3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

4 citing papers in PubMed.

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4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors.

Jacob Albin Korem AlhassanAssistant Professor, Department of Community Health and Epidemiology, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, Canada.ORCID 0000-0002-5370-0612
Noelle RohatinskyAssociate Professor, College of Nursing, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, Canada.
Taylor PeruNurse Practitioner and Clinical & Lab Instructor, College of Nursing, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, Canada.
Carmen LevandoskiRegistered Nurse, St Paul's Hospital, Saskatoon, SK, Canada.
Dennis KendelRetired Health Policy & Services Consultant, Saskatoon, SK, Canada.
Jeff DmytrowichRespiratory Therapist, Saskatchewan Health Authority, Saskatoon, SK, Canada.
Tenille LafontainePatient Partner, Saskatoon, SK, Canada.
Matthew CardinalPatient Partner, Saskatoon, SK, Canada.
Juan Nicolás Peña-SánchezAssociate Professor, Department of Community Health and Epidemiology, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, Canada.ORCID 0000-0002-4653-525X

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectivesThis study sought to describe feelings and perceptions of burnout and moral distress experienced by health care providers in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan during the COVID-19 pandemic.

methodsThis study was part of a larger mixed methods project, and we here report on the qualitative results relating to burnout and moral distress experienced by medical doctors, registered nurses and respiratory therapists. We used an exploratory, qualitative descriptive design involving one-one-one interviews with 24 health care providers. Interview data were analysed using a reflexive thematic analysis approach.

resultsWe identified three overarching themes each for health care provider burnout and moral distress. Interviews revealed that providers experienced burnout through (i) increased expectations and (ii) unfavourable work environments, which led most of them to recognise (iii) a need to step back. Regarding moral distress, key themes were: (i) a sense of compromised care, (ii) feelings of bumping heads with authorities and patient families, and (iii) seeing patients make difficult decisions.

conclusionOur study found that medical doctors, registered nurses and respiratory therapists working during the COVID-19 pandemic experienced and continue to experience significant burnout and moral distress. This was often driven by both institution- and system-level factors. There is a need for sustained investment to build and support a motivated health care workforce to prepare for future pandemics and health emergencies.

Indexed as

Attitude of Health PersonnelBurnout, ProfessionalCOVID-19Health PersonnelMoralsAdultEthical DilemmasFemaleHumansInterviews as TopicMaleMiddle AgedPandemicsQualitative ResearchSARS-CoV-2Saskatchewanmental healthnursingqualitative methods

Identifiers

PMID39352947
PMCPMC11877978

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LicenceCC BY-NC
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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.