Covid-19 Impact on the Healthcare Industry

The coronavirus disease has had a crucial impact on almost every part of everyday life since coming into circulation in the U.S in the beginning of 2020. The healthcare industry has witnessed these changes first hand as they work to efficiently provide support for those infected and learn more about the virus. This study investigates how different work factors such as shifts worked, type of daily exposure to the virus, and homelife impact worker’s overall risk perception of the virus. Four hundred and forty healthcare workers were surveyed and data was collected about their occupation, daily work conditions, risk perception, and concern level about the virus. Work conditions were compared to risk perception in excel in order to determine how different factors either raise or lower the worker’s risk perception. Initial results suggest that 1) healthcare workers who have spouses and children indicated a higher risk perception of contracting the virus than those who lived alone; 2) workers who witnessed Covid-19 effect friends, family, or co-workers marked a higher level of risk perception; 3) the majority of workers who dealt with direct exposure of the virus indicated a higher risk perception than those who worked with indirect exposure. These results suggest that the there are several other factors other than just the virus that impact worker’s risk perception about the virus. The outcome of this study will be used to assist healthcare systems in establishing customized interventions to reduce stress levels on healthcare professionals