To evaluate the impacts of COVID-19—such as job loss, increased work hours, and the compensation for increased work hours and new roles and responsibilities—investigators conducted a national, web-based, 31-item anonymous survey of nearly 600 physicians from community hospitals (49%), academic institutions (44%), and federal facilities (3.8%) in 46 states and the District of Columbia. Among the 31% of respondents who reported increased work hours as a stressor to their job, nearly all said the additional work hours were entirely or partially uncompensated. Negative economic impacts from dealing with the pandemic were reported by 70% of emergency physicians, 63% of anesthesiologists, 60% of surgeons, and 25% of infectious disease specialists. More than one-third of respondents (36%) had new tasks added to their job responsibilities, with 49.1% taking on an advisory role in their institution regarding how to respond to the pandemic and 28.8% involved as an investigator in COVID-19-related research. It’s possible that the survey missed physicians who were too busy to even use social media (to be made aware of the survey) or to complete the survey.
