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On the Frontlines of Crisis
Intensive Care and the Challenge of COVID-19
Language:
English
Published/Copyright:
2025
About this book
On the Frontlines of Crisis is a powerful account of the experiences of healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. As hospitals worldwide became overwhelmed by an influx of critically ill patients, those working in intensive care units (ICUs) were thrust into an unprecedented battle against a deadly virus about which little was understood. Rodriquez takes readers into the heart of two Massachusetts ICUs to learn about the people who put their lives on the line and faced severe challenges as they treated critically ill patients at the peak of the pandemic.
A dramatic spike in mental health distress among these healthcare workers was a consequence of the pandemic, but was also a result of the changing dynamics within the healthcare system itself. Here, Rodriquez examines the impact of the development of the contemporary focus on “clinical empathy.” This clinical method, while intended to improve patient care, had profound implications for healthcare workers during the pandemic, often blurring the lines between professional distance and personal involvement, increasing the emotional demands on staff and heightened their vulnerability to anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress, and burnout. Through the personal stories of those who were in the ICU, On the Frontlines of Crisis offers a sobering reflection on the social and emotional costs of caring for patients.
A dramatic spike in mental health distress among these healthcare workers was a consequence of the pandemic, but was also a result of the changing dynamics within the healthcare system itself. Here, Rodriquez examines the impact of the development of the contemporary focus on “clinical empathy.” This clinical method, while intended to improve patient care, had profound implications for healthcare workers during the pandemic, often blurring the lines between professional distance and personal involvement, increasing the emotional demands on staff and heightened their vulnerability to anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress, and burnout. Through the personal stories of those who were in the ICU, On the Frontlines of Crisis offers a sobering reflection on the social and emotional costs of caring for patients.
Author / Editor information
Jason Rodriquez is an associate professor of sociology at the University of Massachusetts Boston and a Senior Research Associate at the UMB Center for Social Development and Education. Rodriquez holds a PhD in sociology from the University of Massachusetts - Amherst. He is the author of Labors of Love: Nursing Homes and the Structures of Care Work.
Reviews
"On the Frontlines of Crisis captures the affective and workday responses of clinicians as they experienced a crisis in which little was then known about what they were seeing in their patients, what they could do, and how to balance their commitment to their patients and the safety of themselves and their families in the face of a yet- unknown infectious disease. Rodriquez answers what it was really like."— Patricia D'Antonio, author of Nursing with a Message: Public Health Demonstration Projects in New York City
"Rodriquez subtly takes us inside two hospitals in suburban Massachusetts to explore the lives of health care professionals caring for patients during the COVID-19 pandemic. He effectively illuminates how nurses, doctors, and hospital staff handled risks, treatments, and the emotional burdens of their work. Among the many virtues of the book is that it illuminates the terrible psychological toll that the pandemic took on health care professionals."— Robert W. Snyder, author of When the City Stopped: Stories from New York's Essential Workers
"Immerses readers in the chaos, fear, and courage of those battling a poorly understood virus under intense pressure. . . . On the Frontlines of Crisis is a powerful, essential read for anyone seeking insight into the human toll of the pandemic and the complexities of modern healthcare systems. A moving, well-crafted narrative balancing personal stories and systemic analysis. . . . Highly recommended."
— Choice"[Rodriquez] illuminates something important about how the pandemic destabilized public trust in the institutions of public health and medicine more broadly, with consequences that continue to reverberate."
— Social ForcesTopics
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Frontmatter
i -
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Contents
vii -
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Introduction
1 -
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Chapter 1 Treating Patients
12 -
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Chapter 2 Managing Risk
39 -
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Chapter 3 Feeling Emotions
67 -
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Chapter 4 Constructing Boundaries
88 -
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Chapter 5 (Not) Doing Politics
107 -
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Conclusions
128 -
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Appendix Methodological Notes
137 -
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Acknowledgments
141 -
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Notes
143 -
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References
149 -
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Index
161
Publishing information
Pages and Images/Illustrations in book
eBook published on:
August 26, 2025
eBook ISBN:
9781978842410
Pages and Images/Illustrations in book
eBook ISBN:
9781978842410
Keywords for this book
frontlines; crisis; intensive care; COVID-19; coronavirus; COVID; Jason Rodriquez; paperback; hardcover; ebook; health; medicine; health policy; public health; history; medicine and nursing; nursing; sociology; Rutgers University Press; Rutgers University; ICU; intensive care unit; hospitals; hospital; Massachusetts; MA; Massachusetts history; social psychology; society; healthcare workers; mental health; essential workers; clinical empathy; healthcare system; medical; disease; health issues; pandemic; epidemic; caregiving; medical history; Critical Issues in Health and Medicine; critical issues in health and medicine series; series
Audience(s) for this book
For universities and colleges of further and higher education
