Co-Authored by Elizabeth Greene
Attorney Elizabeth Greene contributed legal analysis and arguments, from both her extensive healthcare law experience and leadership within the American Bar Association Health Law Section Council, to a Scientific Research Publishing Inc. paper, Duty to Reduce Uncontrollable Stress in Healthcare Workers. Help Is on the Way.*
The paper was crafted by an interprofessional collaboration of physicians, attorneys and healthcare economists to advise policy makers, law and administrative practitioners of the new science of physical injury to the brain of healthcare workers (HCWs) due to uncontrollable but not controllable occupational stress, as the regulatory and legal risk attached to these issues is currently underappreciated and only likely to increase. The paper makes the case for education of healthcare leaders of this emerging evidence of hazard of uncontrollable stress, and their focus on engagement of adequate resources and processes to address uncontrollable stressors to reduce HCW burnout, sustain wellbeing, and build a system where HCWs thrive. The group’s analysis noted that this was not only was a HCW personal impact issue but also for the patients under their care regarding patient safety and quality of care provided, also aligning with sustainability of the healthcare system.
The full paper can be viewed on the Scientific Research Publishing, Inc. website.
* Privitera, M.R.:Slutsky, E., Ciccone, J.R., Chan, T., Hu, X.; Greene, E.L.B. and Cerulli, C. (2026) Duty to Reduce Uncontrollable Stress in Healthcare Workers. Help Is on the Way. Health, 18, 608-625.
The paper was subsequently cited in a Becker’s Hospital Review article, Uncontrollable stress in healthcare workers may be a legal hazard, researchers argue, suggesting that hospital leaders have a legal and moral duty to reduce uncontrollable occupational stress among healthcare workers, and failure to act may expose health systems to mounting regulatory and litigation risk.
