Preserving mental health and resilience in frontline healthcare workers during COVID-19

Santarone, Kristen; McKenney, Mark; Elkbuli, Adel

doi:10.1016/j.ajem.2020.04.030

Cited by 230 publications

(246 citation statements)

References 7 publications

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“…The rationale for these interventions is embodied in the ideas of Santarone, McKenney and Elkbuli [ 51 ] that “maintaining the mental resilience of frontline workers involves offering solutions that allow them to perform their duties.” The study showed that the interventions reinforced the concept of the hospital as a protective organization, learning from the knowledge and experience of its staff rather than making assumptions to define these needs. We note that the interventions were not the main intention of the research but evolved from the needs of the HCWs, as expressed in the interviews.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Listening to Hospital Personnel’s Narratives during the COVID-19 Outbreak

Daphna–Tekoah

Brikman

Scheier

et al. 2020

IJERPH

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Healthcare workers (HCWs) facing the COVID-19 pandemic are required to deal with unexpectedly traumatic situations, concern about contamination, and mounting patient deaths. As a means to address the changing needs of our hospital’s HCWs, we conducted a narrative analysis study in the early stages of the covid-19 outbreak. A focus group of medical experts, conducted as the initial step, recommended that a bottom-up research tool be used for exploring HCWs’ traumatic experiences and needs. We therefore conducted 450 semi-structured in-depth interviews with hospital personnel. The interviews were based on Maslow’s Pyramid of Needs model, and the narratives were analyzed by applying the Listening Guide methodology. The interviewees expressed a need for physical and psychological security in the battle against Covid-19, in addition to the need for attachment and meaning. Importantly, we also found that the interview itself may serve as a therapeutic tool. In light of our findings, we recommended changes in hospital practices, which were subsequently implemented. Further research on HCWs’ traumatic experiences and needs will provide evidence-based knowledge and may enable novel approaches in the battle against Covid-19. To conclude, the knowledge generated by listening to HCWs’ narratives may provide suitable support programs for professionals.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Listening to Hospital Personnel’s Narratives during the COVID-19 Outbreak

Daphna–Tekoah

Brikman

Scheier

et al. 2020

IJERPH

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Without proper PPE our frontlines are at high risk of infection [2,5,6]. The PPE shortage cultivates role strain as first responders, must consider their duties to their patients versus their personal safety as well as the wellbeing of their loved ones [10]. Addressing this concern, a suggestion is to hire non-EMS drivers in effort to conserve the workforce.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Defending the front lines during the COVID-19 pandemic: Protecting our first responders and emergency medical service personnel

Ehrlich

McKenney

Elkbuli

2021

The American Journal of Emergency Medicine

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“…The duration and sheer volume of increased critical incidents during the pandemic, compounded by the uncertainty in clinical decision making and isolation, may further contribute to the ineffectiveness of usual coping methods. (43)(44)(45) The majority of participants indicated a desire to discuss a critical incident with their team in the past 12 months, demonstrating a receptiveness to in situ stress interventions like post-event discussions or debrie ngs. There was a statistically signi cant difference between the proportion of providers who wanted to discuss a critical incident across years of practice; with the 3-10 years of practice group reporting the lowest proportion (56.3%), compared to 100% of providers with < 3 and 11-20 years of practice or 91.7% of providers with 20 + years of practice.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Baseline Well-being, Perceptions of Critical Incidents, and Openness to Debriefing in Community Hospital Emergency Department Clinical Staff Before COVID-19, A Cross-Sectional Study

Cantu

Thomas

2020

Preprint

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Background: Emergency department personnel routinely bear witness to traumatic experiences and critical incidents that can affect their own well-being. Peer support through debriefing has demonstrated positive impacts on clinicians’ well-being following critical incidents. This study explored community hospital emergency department staff’s perceptions of critical incidents, assessed openness to debriefing and measured baseline well-being. Our analysis provides a baseline of provider well-being immediately prior to the local onset of COVID-19. The potential need for additional resources to support frontline providers during the pandemic can be evaluated. Method: We conducted a cross-sectional study for 4-weeks prior to the first COVID-19 case in Connecticut using a survey offered to an interprofessional group of emergency department clinical staff. The main outcome measures were the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) and the Professional Quality of Life (ProQOL) scale. Pearson’s chi-square test was used to identify significant differences in perceptions of critical incidents and debriefings between professional categories. One-way ANOVA and Tukey’s test were used to analyze significant differences in well-being between professional categories. Results: Thirty-nine clinical personnel from St. Vincent’s Emergency Department responded to the survey. Events frequently selected as critical incidents were caring for critically ill children (89.7%), mass casualty events (84.6%), and death of a patient (69.2%). Critical incidents were commonly reported (81.6%) as occurring once per week. Additionally, 76.2% of participants reported wanting to discuss a critical incident with their team. Across all respondents, 45.7% scored borderline or abnormal for anxiety, 55.9% scored moderate for burnout, and 55.8% scored moderate to high for secondary traumatic stress.Conclusions: At baseline, providers reported caring for critically ill children, mass casualty events, and death of a patient as critical incidents, which typically occurred once per week. Death of a patient occurs at increased frequency during the protracted mass casualty experience of COVID-19 and threatens provider well-being. Receptiveness to post-event debriefing is high but the method is still underutilized. With nearly half of staff scoring borderline or abnormal for anxiety, burnout, and secondary traumatic stress at baseline, peer support measures should be implemented to protect frontline providers’ well-being during and after the pandemic.

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Preserving mental health and resilience in frontline healthcare workers during COVID-19

Cited by 230 publications

References 7 publications

Listening to Hospital Personnel’s Narratives during the COVID-19 Outbreak

Listening to Hospital Personnel’s Narratives during the COVID-19 Outbreak

Defending the front lines during the COVID-19 pandemic: Protecting our first responders and emergency medical service personnel

Baseline Well-being, Perceptions of Critical Incidents, and Openness to Debriefing in Community Hospital Emergency Department Clinical Staff Before COVID-19, A Cross-Sectional Study

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