Politics, policies, and patient care: Rehabilitation therapists’ experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic

Rachel M. Vaughn; Nancy Bagatell; Heather McGovern; Raiya Feinberg; Katherine Hendry; Ramis Chowdhury; Jessica M. Cassidy

doi:10.4081/qrmh.2023.10823

Authors

Rachel M. Vaughn Department of Health Sciences, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States. https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6257-9220
Nancy Bagatell Department of Health Sciences, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States.
Heather McGovern Department of Health Sciences, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States. https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2017-2542
Raiya Feinberg Department of Health Sciences, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States. https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8300-3455
Katherine Hendry Department of Health Sciences, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States.
Ramis Chowdhury Department of Health Sciences, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States.
Jessica M. Cassidy
jcassidy@med.unc.edu
Department of Health Sciences, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States. https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3469-0399

The year 2020 represents a historically turbulent period for the United States marked by the COVID-19 pandemic, a contentious political season, and heightened awareness of racism among citizens. This intersection of medicine, politics, and social unrest generated a demanding clinical environment for healthcare workers, including understudied groups such as physical therapists, occupational therapists, and speech-language pathologists. This descriptive qualitative study focused on experiences and perspectives of clinical rehabilitation therapists working in inpatient rehabilitation and acute-care units from September to November, 2020. Thirteen participants completed individual, semi-structured interviews focused on clinical practice and coping strategies. The analysis included a multi-step, inductive process. Four interconnecting factors chronicling participants’ experiences emerged: sociopolitical, institutional, hospital unit, and personal. Stressors and buffers were noted that further shaped individual experiences. Utilization of an ecological framework provided a way to recognize the impact of a complex range of social and environmental factors affecting participants’ experiences on personal and professional levels. Awareness of rehabilitation therapists’ experiences enriches understanding of the pandemic’s effect on healthcare workers and presents clinical implications for healthcare systems to promote therapist well-being.

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Vaughn, Rachel M., Nancy Bagatell, Heather McGovern, Raiya Feinberg, Katherine Hendry, Ramis Chowdhury, and Jessica M. Cassidy. 2023. “Politics, Policies, and Patient Care: Rehabilitation therapists’ Experiences During the COVID-19 Pandemic”. Qualitative Research in Medicine and Healthcare 7 (1). https://doi.org/10.4081/qrmh.2023.10823.