Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in: the older physician in the COVID-19 pandemic
Carmelle Peisah, Peter Hockey, Susan Benbow, Betsy Williams
Abstract
A call for action to come back and join the fight against COVID-19 has been issued to retired doctors around the world (CBS News, 2020). Many have responded to this call and have returned, or will return to the workforce. Conversely, some late-career doctors who are in practice are anxious about their risk and are understandably choosing now to retire. In this brief perspective, we explore the challenges of the bidirectional movement of older doctors returning to and exiting from the profession at this time of unprecedented stress, to inform solutions, and suggestions for the future.
Topics & Concepts
PandemicCoronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)Content (measure theory)2019-20 coronavirus outbreakSevere acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)Action (physics)PsychologyMedicineGerontologyVirologyInfectious disease (medical specialty)Internal medicineDiseaseMathematicsOutbreakMathematical analysisQuantum mechanicsPhysicsCOVID-19 and healthcare impactsHealthcare professionals’ stress and burnoutHealth disparities and outcomes