According to a George Washington University study, researchers found that a majority of states in the U.S. will soon face a shortage of Intensive Care Unit (ICU) Doctors as the COVID-19 pandemic continues.
According to ABC News, the most recent update finds that 26 states will soon face shortages in ICU Doctors, up from only five last week. Ten states are at risk of running low on critical care Nurses. Seven face shortages in Doctors trained to work in hospitals. Nine states will not have enough Respiratory Therapists, up from zero last week. Six states will face shortages in Pharmacists.
The GWU researchers created a tool that will help states and the government estimate the need for health care workers under different scenarios of patient infection rates and health worker attrition.
Patricia (Polly) Pittman, PhD, Director of the Fitzhugh Mullan Institute for Health Workforce Equity, at the George Washington University Milken Institute School of Public Health, said “This pandemic has put extraordinary pressure on our health workforce. Our interactive tool will help identify potential worker shortages during peaks in demand. Ultimately, the information gleaned from this model will pave the way toward solutions to anticipate and prevent problem by shoring up just-in-time capacity.”
The problem of a shortage of healthcare workers in ICU is not new, but it is certainly a more pressing one in the context of a pandemic.
To find out more about the tool and view an interactive map of shortage states click here.