Health workers get a front-row view of the effects of health policies, so it’s no surprise they have strong attitudes about them. Like many other groups, health workers often use public protest to express their ideas and influence policy. At a time when fatigue, burnout and frustration are driving many workers out of health care, it’s becoming more and more important to understand what’s driving this exodus in order to avoid a workforce crisis in health care.

Today in The Conversation Canada, Veena Sriram of the University of British Columbia and Sorcha Brophy of Columbia University take a closer look at health worker protests around the globe. The first thing they found was a big uptick in protest action among health workers during the first year of the pandemic. They also note what’s driving this unrest. It turns out it’s not new issues: many of the things bringing health workers into the streets — and potentially pushing them out of health care altogether — are pre-existing issues brought into sharp focus by the pandemic.

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