Vision 2020: How caregiving and work productivity outlook shifted for academic pediatric faculty

Authors: CHUMPITAZI, CORRIE - Baylor College Of Medicine; CAMP, ELIZABETH - Baylor College Of Medicine; CUEVAS-GUAMAN, MILENKA - Baylor College Of Medicine; DOUGHTY, CARA - Baylor College Of Medicine; KANCHERLA, BINAL - Baylor College Of Medicine; LINGAPPAN, KRITHIKA - Baylor College Of Medicine; MORAN, NANCY - Children'S Nutrition Research Center (CNRC); MURRAY, KRISTY - Baylor College Of Medicine; PEREZ, ORIANA - Children'S Nutrition Research Center (CNRC); SHEKERDEMIAN, LARA - Baylor College Of Medicine; O'CONNOR, TERESIA - Children'S Nutrition Research Center (CNRC)

Submitted to: Journal of Women's Health
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 1/11/2022
Publication Date: 2/14/2022
Citation: Chumpitazi, C.E., Camp, E.A., Cuevas-Guaman, M., Doughty, C., Kancherla, B., Lingappan, K., Moran, N.E., Murray, K.O., Perez, O., Shekerdemian, L.S., O'Connor, T.M. 2022. Vision 2020: How caregiving and work productivity outlook shifted for academic pediatric faculty. Journal of Women's Health. https://doi.org/10.1089/jwh.2021.0555.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1089/jwh.2021.0555

Interpretive Summary: The COVID-19 pandemic affected both home and work and has the potential of exacerbating existing inequities among pediatric faculty. The purpose of this study was to describe the survey results of pediatric faculty from one of the largest Department of Pediatrics in the country and describe work productivity and caregiving responsibilities of faculty during the pandemic in order to identify groups at risk and better understand faculty preferences for mitigation strategies. The Department faculty were surveyed in December 2020. Women and junior faculty reported greater increases in caregiving responsibilities than men and senior faculty during the pandemic compared with the previous year. Faculty perceived a worse one-year outlook for their research than for their teaching or clinical responsibilities. More than a third (37%) of faculty reported wellness concerns affecting job performance, which was more common among those with increased caregiving responsibility. For those likely to go up for promotion within 10 years, junior faculty and those whose caregiving increased were two and threefold more likely respectively to report that their caregiving responsibilities would affect promotion. The preferred mitigation strategies by faculty included clear communication of expectations by leadership, acknowledging the need for adjustments in expectations, flexible work hours, and allowances for an off-line day. Overall, pediatric faculty with increased caregiving responsibilities and junior faculty are at highest risk for the pandemic impacting their work productivity and potentially affecting their readiness for promotion. Wellness concerns by faculty could affect work performance. Additionally, faculty reported a worse 1-year outlook for their research than other work contexts.

Technical Abstract: The COVID-19 pandemic has affected both home and work routines and may have exacerbated existing inequities. The objectives of this study were to describe pediatric faculty work productivity and caregiving responsibilities during the pandemic, identify groups at risk, and better understand mitigation strategy preferences. We conducted a cross-sectional electronic survey of Department of Pediatric faculty. Responses were analyzed by demographic data as well as academic context. Women (p=0.003) and junior faculty (p=0.02) reported greater increases in caregiving responsibilities than men and senior faculty during the pandemic compared with the previous year. Faculty perceived a worse one-year outlook for their research than for their teaching or clinical responsibilities (p<0.01). More than a third (37%) of faculty reported wellness concerns affecting job performance, which was more common among those with increased caregiving responsibility (p=0.01). Junior faculty (p=0.01) and those whose increased caregiving (p=0.01) were two and threefold more likely to report that their caregiving responsibilities would affect promotion, for those likely to go up for promotion within 10 years. Preferred mitigation strategies included clear communication of expectations by leadership, acknowledging the need for adjustments in expectations, flexible work hours, and allowances for an off-line day. Pediatric faculty with increased caregiving responsibilities and junior faculty are at highest risk for the pandemic, affecting their readiness for promotion. Wellness concerns by faculty could affect work performance. Researchers report a worse 1-year outlook than the other groups. Faculty identified preferred strategies to potentially assist in maintaining their productivity.