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The Healthcare Worker Exposure Response and Outcomes (HERO) Registry collects information about pandemic-related risk factors, perspectives, and challenges experienced by healthcare workers (HCWs) and those who support them. Since it launched in April 2020, over 55,000 people have joined the HERO Registry. Registry participants come from different backgrounds, including HCWs, their families and members of their community. Most participants identify as White (75%), Black or African American (10%), Asian (6%), or ...

Some individuals who have been diagnosed with COVID-19 illness experience Post-Acute Sequelae of COVID-19 infection (PASC), also known as ‘long-COVID.’ In a recent HEROES Research Hot Topics survey, we asked HERO Registry members about their health before the COVID-19 pandemic, and if it changed due to being infected with the virus. What is PASC, or Long COVID? Individuals with PASC continue to experience COVID-19 symptoms after their acute infection period. These can ...

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends a booster dose of the COVID-19 vaccine to increase immunity against SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19 illness. In a recent poll, the HEROES Research team asked Registry members if they received a COVID-19 booster shot, and their reasoning for receiving or not receiving an additional vaccine dose. A total of 4,037 HERO Registry members responded, with 58% overall indicating receiving a ...

A recent announcement from vaccine makers Pfizer and BioNTech may mean that children under the age of five could be eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccine. The vaccine manufacturers will submit their COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use authorization for this age group after clinical study results found a third dose of the vaccine is safe and effective at preventing COVID-19 infections in children 6 months to under 5 years of ...

Wearing a well-fitted mask has been a critical public health tool along with vaccination, physical distancing, and self-testing recommended by officials to slow and stop the spread of the COVID-19 virus. Although most mandates have been lifted, with the continued rise of COVID cases and hospitalizations, some organizations and local governments may consider the return of mask recommendations. A recent HEROES Research Hot Topic Survey asked HERO Registry members about the ...

A recent HERO Registry study on healthcare workers experiences with moral injury published in the Journal of General Internal Medicine is gaining national media coverage. This research — a collaboration between Duke University, Vanderbilt University, and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) — found that healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic experienced high rates of potential moral injury, similar to combat veterans. Media outlets such as U.S. News & World ...

Results from a recent collaborative HEROES Research study with Duke University, Vanderbilt University, and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) found that healthcare workers who have worked during the COVID-19 pandemic experienced high rates of potential moral injury similar to combat veterans. Moral injuries are described as actions that may conflict with values and beliefs, leading to psychological harm. Initially, the term was used to describe what military service and combat ...

Earlier this week, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authorized a second round of booster shots for everyone over the age of 50, a group at high risk of adverse COVID-19 outcomes. A next step is for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to provide instructions on how to implement the authorization. The decision on a second booster shot comes from data suggesting waning immunity in people who received ...

A recent study published by The Lancet eClinicalMedicine using HERO Registry data found racial and ethnic disparities experienced by healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. This observational cohort study, funded by the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI), surveyed over 24,000 U.S. healthcare workers enrolled in the HERO Registry between April 2020 and June 2021. Study healthcare workers shared their experiences with COVID-19 testing, diagnosis, workplace burnout, emotional struggles, and thoughts on ...

In a working environment where employees are already at a higher risk for burnout, the pandemic has pushed many healthcare workers out of medicine entirely – some have been laid off, many have quit. We asked the HERO Registry of healthcare workers if they were leaving health care or had considered it, and if so, why. Hot Topic: Intent to Leave Health Care The HERO Registry seeks to understand pandemic-related perspectives and ...