Interventional Response of Hospital and Health Services to the Mental Health Effects of Viral Outbreaks on Health Professionals

Abstract

The aim of this integrative review was to examine the impact of past viral epidemics on staff mental health interventional responses, with a specific focus on healthcare provider response in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Following PRISMA methodology, databases were searched for relevant articles. A total of 55 articles with a range of methodologies (e.g., commentary papers, cohort studies, qualitative studies) were included to ensure broad coverage of this rapidly emerging research area. The literature showed that many healthcare providers implemented a variety of wellbeing initiatives to support their staff during a viral outbreak. Most of these interventions, however, were not formally evaluated. Interventions included leadership/team support; online psychoeducational resources and updated information on the pandemic; respite spaces; peer support outreach; staff resilience training; telephone hotline support; staff support groups; and individual counseling. Staff were generally supportive of the initiatives offered by hospital and health services, with certain interventions being more appreciated (e.g., staff respite areas). Rapid, locally, and culturally appropriate workplace-based responses may counter the negative mental health impact on staff; but a stepped response is required for a smaller number of staff at risk of mental illness, or those with pre-existing mental illness.Systematic Review Registration: Unique Identifier: CRD42020222761.

“Don't Just Study our Distress, Do Something”: Implementing and Evaluating a Modified Stepped-Care Model for Health Care Worker Mental Health During the COVID-19 Pandemic

“…Institutionally-based programs providing individual support may have limited uptake when these are not seen as sufficiently confidential or distanced from human resource processes. 14 As our needs assessment also highlighted that confidentiality was a concern, we worked closely with the hospital legal department to establish a streamlined process for record-keeping outside of the institutional electronic medical record. We included information on the limits of confidentiality on our intranet page and provided this information at intake.…”

“…They noted a lack of program evaluation as a major limitation, as most articles were nonempirical commentaries. 14 Few institutions described the process used to establish their programs with limited information on the demographics of those accessing services, reasons for engagement, and acceptability and feasibility of the program. [15][16][17][18][19][20] This information is critical as health care institutions are increasingly called upon to support their HCW.…”

Psychosoziale Belastung und psychosoziale Unterstützung für Fachkräfte im Gesundheitswesen während der COVID-19-Pandemie

“…Im Gegensatz zur Untersuchung der psychosozialen Belastung ist die empirische Datenlage zur Entwicklung, Implementation und Bewertung von innerbetrieblichen Versorgungsangeboten für Fachkräfte des Gesundheitswesens unterrepräsentiert (Branjerdporn et al. 2022 ). Das kürzlich erschienene Review von Branjerdporn et al.…”

“…Das kürzlich erschienene Review von Branjerdporn et al. ( 2022 ) gibt, basierend auf einer Zusammenschau von 55 Studien mit unterschiedlichen methodischen Ansätzen (beispielsweise Kommentare, Kohortenstudien, qualitativen Studien), einen Überblick zu den bislang international entwickelten innerbetrieblichen Maßnahmen zur Förderung der psychischen Gesundheit im Rahmen von Pandemien (ausgelöst durch Infektionen mit dem Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronoavirus [SARS-CoV] und COVID-19). Darunter finden sich Initiativen am Arbeitsplatz (z.…”

“…eine teilweise geringe Inanspruchnahme, wobei besonders Erholungsräume und kostenlose Mahlzeiten vom Personal geschätzt wurden (Branjerdporn et al. 2022 ). In der vorliegenden Studie beschrieb der Personalrat die höchste Inanspruchnahme (27 %), wobei hier vielmehr arbeitsrechtliche als psychosoziale Belange im Vordergrund stehen.…”