Continued challenges in pediatric anesthesia during COVID‐19 in 2022: An international survey from the pediatric anesthesia COVID‐19 collaborative

Abstract

IntroductionThis international survey explored the ongoing impact of COVID‐19 on pediatric anesthesiology. It assessed COVID‐19's impact on the practice of pediatric anesthesiology, staffing, job satisfaction, and retention at the beginning of 2022 and addressed what should be done to ameliorate COVID‐19's impact and what initiatives hospitals had implemented.MethodsThis survey focused on five major domains: equipment/medication, vaccination/testing, staffing, burnout, and economic repercussions. Pilot testing for questionnaire clarity was conducted by members of the Pediatric Anesthesia COVID‐19 Collaborative. The survey was administered by e‐mail to a representative of the 72 collaborative centers. Respondents were instructed to answer based on their institution's practice from February through April of 2022. Descriptive statistics with 95% confidence intervals are reported.ResultsSeventy of seventy‐two institutions participated in this survey (97% response rate). Fifty‐nine (84%) were from the United States, and 11 (16%) included other countries. The majority experienced equipment (68%) and medication (60%) shortages. Many institutions reported staffing shortages in nursing (37%), perioperative staff (27%), and attending anesthesiologists (11%). Sixty‐two institutions (89%) indicated burnout was a frequent topic of conversation among pediatric anesthesiologists. Forty‐three institutions (61%) reported anesthesiologists leaving current practice and 37 (53%) early retirement. Twenty‐eight institutions (40%) canceled elective cases. The major suggestions for improving job retention included improving financial compensation (76%), decreasing clinical time (67%), and increasing flexibility in scheduled clinical time (66%). Only a minority of institutions had implemented the following initiatives: improving financial compensation (19%), increased access to mental health/counseling services (30%), and assistance with child or elder care (7%). At the time of the survey, 34% of institutions had not made any changes.ConclusionOur study found that COVID‐19 has continued to impact pediatric anesthesiology. There are major discrepancies between what anesthesiologists believe are important for job satisfaction and faculty retention compared to implemented initiatives. Data from this survey provide insight for institutions and departments for addressing these challenges.

Economic Impact of COVID-19 on a Free-Standing Pediatric Ambulatory Center

“…The lessons learned from this pandemic are invaluable for guiding future policies and practices in healthcare settings, especially in maintaining essential surgical services for pediatric patients. It should also be noted that the impact of the initial COVID-19 pandemic of 2020 continues to have long reaching effects on our healthcare system including ongoing faculty staffing and staff shortages across the perioperative and inpatient setting, equipment and medication supply chain issues, and increased burnout leading to retirement or job changes which further affects staffing shortages [ 14 ]. This impact extends far beyond the financial consequences of the pandemic.…”