Healthcare workers have faced significant increases in the rates of mental health disorders like anxiety, depression, and burnout. These increases can be largely attributed to the increase in stress since the start of the COVID-19 Pandemic.

The National Council for State Boards of Nursing found that 100,000 registered nurses left the workforce due to the pandemic’s stressors. An additional 20% of current nurses planned to leave the profession in the next five years, further exacerbating the critical nursing workforce shortages.

A study by JAMA Psychiatry found that exercise significantly decreased depression, burnout, and absenteeism in healthcare workers.

Study Methodology

From April to June 2022, 288 healthcare workers from a hospital in British Columbia participated in a randomized clinical trial. 42% of the participants were nurses, 28% were from allied health, and 24% were administrative.

Researchers instructed half of the participants to exercise for four 20-minute sessions per week, providing access to exercise apps with guided activities for running, barre, yoga, and interval training. The control group maintained their usual level of activity. Researchers surveyed participants every two weeks throughout the 12-week study to measure depression, burnout, and absenteeism.

Implications for Practice

Exercise

Exercise reduced not only rates of depression but also burnout, specifically cynicism and emotional exhaustion. The study also found that exercise reduced absenteeism, allowing workers to preserve their sick leave.

Similarly, a study in BJM Sports Medicine found that physical activity was not only as effective but was 1.5 times more effective in treating mild to moderate depression, stress, and anxiety than either medications or cognitive behavioral therapy.

Adherence to Exercise Routine

Reduced rates of adherence are a known problem in exercise regimens, and this study was no exception. Approximately 55% of participants engaged in the prescribed 80 minutes of physical activity weekly in the second week of the trial. By week 12, only 23% of participants were completing the 80 minutes per week.

However, even when participants exercised as little as 20 minutes per week, significant improvements in mental health were observed. The critical takeaway is that even short periods of physical activity showed beneficial outcomes. Healthcare workers should be encouraged to exercise regularly; the longer they do, the better their results will be over time. 

Supporting Healthcare Workers 

Acknowledging and addressing the mental health crises amongst healthcare workers is critical. This is especially true at a time when nurse burnout is at an all time high, leading nurses to leaving the profession in alarming numbers. Not only should exercise be encouraged, but appropriate mental health support is also necessary to meet the needs of healthcare workers who often sacrifice their physical and mental health to care for those in need.

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