Supporting the Emotional Well-being of Health Care Workers During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Wu, Albert W.; Buckle, Peter; Haut, Elliott R.; Bellandi, Tomasso; Koizumi, Shunzo; Mair, Alpana; Øvretveit, John; Power, Chris; Sax, Hugo; Thomas, Eric J.; Newman‐Toker, David E.; Vincent, Charles

doi:10.1177/2516043520931971

Cited by 30 publications

(35 citation statements)

References 10 publications

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“…Notwithstanding some positive reflections, the study identifies prominent issues that have implications for policy, practice and research. First, approximately one-third of respondents reported that healthcare workers did not receive recommendations to avoid burnout, despite overburdened healthcare workers being a key challenge throughout this pandemic [ 4 , 14 , 20 ]. Second, less than one-third of respondents indicated that healthcare workers received simulation training of an epidemic outbreak, and while most respondents had an active pandemic plan in their healthcare organization prior to the outbreak, almost half indicated that the plan had not been updated in the last 3 years.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

International survey of COVID-19 management strategies

Tartaglia¹,

Regina²,

Tanzini³

et al. 2020

International Journal for Quality in Health Care

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Background While individual countries have gained considerable knowledge and experience in coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19) management, an international, comparative perspective is lacking, particularly regarding the measures taken by different countries to tackle the pandemic. This paper elicits the views of health system staff, tapping into their personal expertise on how the pandemic was initially handled. Methods From May to July 2020, we conducted a cross-sectional, online, purpose-designed survey comprising 70 items. Email lists of contacts provided by the International Society for Quality in Health Care, the Italian Network for Safety in Health Care and the Australian Institute of Health Innovation were used to access healthcare professionals and managers across the world. We snowballed the survey to individuals and groups connected to these organizations. Key outcome measures were attitudes and information about institutional approaches taken; media communication; how acute hospitals were re-organized; primary health organization; personal protective equipment; and staffing and training. Results A total of 1131 survey participants from 97 countries across the World Health Organization (WHO) regions responded to the survey. Responses were from all six WHO regions; 57.9% were female and the majority had 10 or more years of experience in healthcare; almost half (46.5%) were physicians; and all other major clinical professional groups participated. As the pandemic progressed, most countries established an emergency task force, developed communication channels to citizens, organized health services to cope and put in place appropriate measures (e.g. pathways for COVID-19 patients, and testing, screening and tracing procedures). Some countries did this better than others. We found several significant differences between the WHO regions in how they are tackling the pandemic. For instance, while overall most respondents (71.4%) believed that there was an effective plan prior to the outbreak, this was only the case for 31.9% of respondents from the Pan American Health Organization compared with 90.7% of respondents from the South-East Asia Region (SEARO). Issues with swab testing (e.g. delay in communicating the swab outcome) were less frequently reported by respondents from SEARO and the Western Pacific Region compared with other regions. Conclusion The world has progressed in its knowledge and sophistication in tackling the pandemic after early and often substantial obstacles were encountered. Most WHO regions have or are in the process of responding well, although some countries have not yet instituted widespread measures known to support mitigation, for example, effective swab testing and social control measures.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

International survey of COVID-19 management strategies

Tartaglia¹,

Regina²,

Tanzini³

et al. 2020

International Journal for Quality in Health Care

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“…All of these psychological issues, as well as disturbances in workers’ personal lives, can interfere negatively with health care processes and outcomes. 8…”

Section: The Dark Sidementioning

confidence: 99%

COVID-19: The dark side and the sunny side for patient safety

Sax

Letaief

et al. 2020

Journal of Patient Safety and Risk Management

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The COVID-19 crisis has placed an enormous strain on our hospitals and health systems. Caring for the rapidly evolving needs of patients has triggered radical changes in the organization and delivery of services. Some hospitals transformed into huge pulmonary critical care units. Most drastically curtailed the usual elective procedures and preventive care to accommodate the flood of patients requiring intensive care for coronavirus disease. The terrible consequences of the pandemic are obvious, with millions infected, and hundreds of thousands dead, many of them spending their last days separated from their families and loved ones. The injuries to society may be even deeper, with businesses closed, some permanently, and hundreds of millions out of work. Education and entertainment have been shuttered. Economies have suffered a body blow, as in the US, which in the second quarter of 2020 had the steepest drop in economic output on record. Food and personal protective supplies are imperiled. The health and economic burdens have been borne disproportionately by the poor and vulnerable. This pandemic has also created new problems with patient safety and health care quality at multiple levels of the system. Examples are missed and delayed diagnoses, caused by clinicians' cognitive biases or patients' reluctance to seek care for urgent problems. Another is medical errors made by inexperienced practitioners. A third is failures in infection prevention and control practices On the other hand, as suggested in 1959 by then Senator John F. Kennedy in an address to the United Negro College Fund, crises can create important new opportunities. 1 In general, they inspire rapid problem solving and innovation. New talent can emerge and assert itself. Unprecedented levels of cooperation can develop, even among rivals. Barriers are lowered and changes in policy and systems can muscle in. All of these developments can lead to increased resilience for the next event. And there have been early signs that the response to the pandemic has had some benefits for patient safety. To explore this, we consulted with safety experts on our international editorial board. We asked them to report on the threats to safety and health care quality that they have identified. We also asked them to report on any silver linings they have observed, and to provide advice about the ones most important to preserve.

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“…It is essential that nurses are provided support and time to build resilience. Leaders should organize activities that foster physical and mental health, such as mindfulness meditation, yoga, and structured exercise, and provide opportunities for informal social support, such as peer support via a buddy system that includes daily check‐ins 3 . Evidence‐based programs that prevent and decrease anxiety and depression also can be beneficial; one example is The Ohio State University College of Nursing’s MINDSTRONG program (https://nursing.osu.edu/offices-and-initiatives/mindstrong), which consists of seven weekly sessions focused on improving physical and mental health via strategies to establish healthy behaviors 5…”

Section: Support Strategiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Supporting the mental health of nurses

Croke¹

2021

AORN Journal

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Supporting the Emotional Well-being of Health Care Workers During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Cited by 30 publications

References 10 publications

International survey of COVID-19 management strategies

International survey of COVID-19 management strategies

COVID-19: The dark side and the sunny side for patient safety

Supporting the mental health of nurses

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