The unintended consequence of labeling frontline workers as “heroes”

info822671
Jul 20, 2020
3 min read

Updated: Mar 6

frontline medical heroes

This piece is not based on research unless specifically mentioned. Rather, this is a reflection based on my personal counselling sessions and informal discussions with front-line medical workers during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Appreciation for service

I am sure that front-line medical professionals are thankful for the public’s appreciation for their service. However, this labeling of front-line medical workers as “heroes”, has unfortunately also become harmful – at least for some health care professionals.

By now, the ritual of applause, for front-line workers in the Covid-19 pandemic at a certain time of day, has become a worldwide phenomenon.

Especially initially, many front-line workers waiting for the Covid-19 wave to hit, experienced this show of appreciation as motivation and encouragement. Providing them courage to brace for the storm.

Burn-out among medical frontline heroes

We know from research (Yellow Ribbon Report, 2017), unrelated to the Covid-19 pandemic, that one of the contributing factors to medical professional burn-out, is the unrealistic expectation of patients and their families and friends. For instance, the expectation that the medical professional has almost superhuman abilities to save the patient, no matter what the chances of survival for the patient. The belief that the medical professional can heal or cure (versus treat). In summary, expectations that are not humanly possible.

These expectations are explicitly or implicitly conveyed to medical professionals. Consequently, it causes a lot of pressure.

Inevitably a medical professional will fail in the expectation of a patient and/or family members and friends. This can cause feelings of guilt, disappointment, failure, resenting the ones who had these expectations, and a decrease in self-confidence and work satisfaction.

If this pattern repeats itself, it understandably can lead to burn-out.

Medical frontline super heroes?

As the number of Covid-19 cases are rising sharply, the pressure is increasing.

Medical “frontline heroes” are concerned about their own health, the health of their loved ones and patients. Increasingly more medical professionals are absent from work. Some have tested positive for Covid-19 or were exposed to the virus and need to self-isolate. Others are absent due to mental health issues or are on strike to protest the horrible circumstances under which some of them must work.

All of this adds to the stress and trauma experienced by medical professionals daily.

On top of this, they had been labelled / are still being labelled, as “heroes”, or even “super-heroes”. For many, this may be the last straw on the camel’s back. Consequently, the public, a potential source of support, now becomes an unintended burden.

Support in action

As users of health services, we must think of ways to support and communicate our support to medical professionals without contributing to the problem.

Maybe we need to find ways to communicate our appreciation, while simultaneously communicating that we realize they are also human beings.

While we try to figure this out, the message from health professionals all over the world in terms of what we can DO to show our support and appreciation, is uniform and very clear:

Wear a mask
Adhere to social distancing
Refrain from using the emergency centers for non-emergencies.
If you do end up at an emergency or general ward, for Covid-19 or other reasons –respect the protocols and regulations put in place. These have been put in place to prioritize the care of the sickest people.

If we do this, we relieve the burden on the health system and thus the burden on health professionals.