Stakeholders’ views on volunteering in mental health: an international focus group study

Costa, Mariana Pinto da; Conneely, Maev; Silva, Fábio Monteiro da; Toner, Sarah

doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2021-052185

Cited by 7 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 36 publications

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“… 15 It plays a pivotal role in public health promotion and constitutes a key component of clinical governance. 16 Volunteering also improves patient satisfaction, fosters trust, reduces anxiety and negative emotions, 17 reduces the adverse physical and mental effects of crises and facilitates disease management. 18 Despite its positive effects, voluntary care provision is associated with challenges and concerns.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The challenges of voluntary care provision for hospitalized patients with COVID‐19: A qualitative study of the public volunteers' experiences

Karami,

Nikbakht Nasrabadi,

Torabizadeh

et al. 2024

Health Expectations

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IntroductionDuring the COVID‐19 pandemic, there was a remarkable increase in public volunteering for the care of hospitalized patients. They faced challenges during their voluntary care provision. This study aimed at exploring public volunteers' experiences of the challenges of the voluntary care provision to hospitalized patients with COVID‐19.MethodsA descriptive qualitative study with an inductive content analysis method was conducted, 2022–2023. Eighteen public volunteers providing care to hospitalized patients with COVID‐19 were purposefully selected among 10 hospitals, specialized in COVID‐19 care in Tehran and Shiraz, Iran. Data were collected over 7 months through in‐depth semistructured interviews and concurrently analyzed using conventional content analysis methods.FindingsThe challenges of voluntary care provision to hospitalized patients with COVID‐19 were illustrated in five main categories, each with two subcategories. The categories included structural challenges, interpersonal conflicts, financial constraints, covert participation and the deteriorating condition of care provision. The subcategories comprised lack of volunteer recruitment bases, ineffective organization of voluntary activities, pervasive distrust, heightened risk of clinical errors, conflicts between volunteer commitments and primary occupation, lack of financial support, lack of family support, isolation by friends, mental trauma and physical exhaustion.ConclusionPublic volunteers encounter diverse challenges while providing care to hospitalized patients with COVID‐19, which negatively impacts their motivation to serve. By addressing these challenges, we can create a more supportive environment for volunteers and enhance the quality of care provided to patients during public health emergencies. Identifying such challenges can assist healthcare managers and policymakers develop effective strategies to mitigate mounting difficulties and enhance volunteer services, thereby improving the overall quality of care provided to patients during public health crises.Patient ContributionsParticipants were identified and recruited after the study objectives were explained in person to the managers. The participants were approached and interviewed by one author. Participation was voluntary and the participants did not receive any financial compensation for their time.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The challenges of voluntary care provision for hospitalized patients with COVID‐19: A qualitative study of the public volunteers' experiences

Karami,

Nikbakht Nasrabadi,

Torabizadeh

et al. 2024

Health Expectations

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“…It has also been reported that volunteer engagement in stroke programs strengthens intervention delivery by ensuring that important health messages are effectively disseminated to clients. Through the use of lay language, volunteers, particularly those from the general public, enhance the immediate applicability of delivered health information for clients and minimize barriers in understanding that may arise from professional distance between healthcare professionals and clients [ 15 , 16 ]. Moreover, previous evidence has highlighted the benefits of participation for the volunteers themselves, who have reported enhanced learning, understanding and empathy after interacting with clients [ 15 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Volunteer Engagement in a Stroke Self-Management Program: Qualitative Analysis of a Hybrid Team of Healthcare Providers and Trained Volunteers

Chau

Saran

2022

IJERPH

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Stroke recovery is a complex, multidimensional and heterogeneous process. Volunteer engagement improves the delivery of interventions in stroke rehabilitation programs but is under-utilized due to poor role clarity and other program-related concerns. We evaluated healthcare providers’ and volunteers’ perceptions of volunteer engagement in an 8-week self-management program that provided self-management support for community-dwelling stroke survivors. Using a qualitative design, we conducted individual, semi-structured interviews with a purposive sample of 5 trained healthcare providers and 18 volunteers. The participants shared their experiences of supporting survivors, perceptions of volunteer engagement, and areas of improvement to optimize volunteer support. Three main themes and six subthemes emerged: bilateral exchange between healthcare providers/volunteers and survivors; adoption of individualized approaches; and suggestions for optimizing volunteer contributions. Volunteer engagement can be optimized by developing well-designed programs with sufficient role clarity, strengthened collaborations with healthcare providers and adequate training. Our findings highlighted the contributions of trained volunteers in supporting stroke survivors’ self-management. Future research should evaluate the use of peer and healthcare professional volunteers in such programs and build community capacity to support stroke survivors’ recovery.

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Views on volunteering in mental health: a focus group study with mental health professionals and volunteers in Portugal

Costa

Oliveira

2023

Discov Ment Health

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Introduction Volunteering has reported health benefits. However, little is known in Portugal about the views of mental health professionals and volunteers on volunteering in mental health care. Methods A qualitative secondary analysis of data from six focus groups with 28 participants was conducted in order to explore and compare the perspectives on volunteering in mental health of two stakeholders: mental health professionals and volunteers in Portugal. Results Four main themes arose: the nature of the volunteering relationship; volunteering has multiple aims; technology has potential for volunteering; and volunteering has its challenges. Although there were mostly commonalities between their views, some variability suggested that different stakeholders may consider different aspects of volunteering differently. Overall, stakeholders called for structured recruitment and support, training, defining boundaries and fighting the stigma of mental illness. Conclusion Despite the lack of volunteering tradition in mental health care in Portugal, volunteering programmes were perceived as an important resource for patients with mental illness.

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Stakeholders’ views on volunteering in mental health: an international focus group study

Cited by 7 publications

References 36 publications

The challenges of voluntary care provision for hospitalized patients with COVID‐19: A qualitative study of the public volunteers' experiences

The challenges of voluntary care provision for hospitalized patients with COVID‐19: A qualitative study of the public volunteers' experiences

Volunteer Engagement in a Stroke Self-Management Program: Qualitative Analysis of a Hybrid Team of Healthcare Providers and Trained Volunteers

Views on volunteering in mental health: a focus group study with mental health professionals and volunteers in Portugal

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