Change within an organization has always been a highly complex and fragile task. The current global pandemic has added a unique and challenging thread within this already complicated process. The COVID-19 pandemic has forced healthcare organizations to change at an unprecedented pace, making sweeping changes in order to meet the new demands that have been placed on healthcare operations in order to control the spread of the virus. The never ending shuffle and implementation of new policies and procedures daily, has caused a turbulent environment conducive to change fatigue.
a. Changes imposed by the pandemic have been described as disorienting and debilitating; it has been hypothesized that front line staff are at greater risk for change fatigue during this pandemic (Bansal et al., 2020)
b. Overload of change initiative has put healthcare workers at risk for change fatigue due to the constant bombardment of information generated by the pandemic in both their personal and professional lives (Bansal et al., 2020).
c. It is hypothesized that leadership support, or lack there of, will have a direct impact on the welfare of staff, including whether or not members of their staff will experience change fatigue (Luis & Vance, 2020).