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A health care workers mental health crisis line in the age of COVID-19.

ABSTRACT: INTRODUCTION:The COVID-19 pandemic has brought a health care crisis of unparalleled devastation. A mental health crisis as a second wave has begun to emerge in our front-line health care workers. OBJECTIVE:To address these needs, The Healthcare Worker Mental Health COVID-19 Hotline, based on crisis intervention principles, was developed and launched in 2 weeks. METHODS:Upon reflection of why this worked, we decided it might be useful to describe what we now recognize as 13-steps which led to our success. The process included the following: (1) anticipate mental health needs; (2) use leadership capable of mobilizing the systems and resources; (3) convene a multidisciplinary team; (4) delegate tasks and set timelines; (5) choose a clinical service model; (6) motivate staff as a workforce of volunteers; (7) develop training and educational materials; (8) develop personal, local, and national resources; (9) develop marketing plans; (10) deliver the training; (11) launch a 24 hr/7days per week Healthcare Worker Mental Health COVID-19 Hotline, and launch follow-up sessions for staff; (12) structure data collection to determine effectiveness and outcomes; and (13) obtain funding (not required). DISCUSSION:We believe the process we used is specifically useful for others who may want to develop a COVID-19 hotline services for health care workers and generally useful for the development of other mental health services. CONCLUSION:We hope that this process may serve as a guide for other heath care systems.

SUBMITTER: Feinstein RE

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7405037 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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A health care workers mental health crisis line in the age of COVID-19.

Feinstein Robert E RE Kotara Sussann S Jones Barbara B Shanor Donna D Nemeroff Charles B CB

Depression and anxiety 20200715 8

<h4>Introduction</h4>The COVID-19 pandemic has brought a health care crisis of unparalleled devastation. A mental health crisis as a second wave has begun to emerge in our front-line health care workers.<h4>Objective</h4>To address these needs, The Healthcare Worker Mental Health COVID-19 Hotline, based on crisis intervention principles, was developed and launched in 2 weeks.<h4>Methods</h4>Upon reflection of why this worked, we decided it might be useful to describe what we now recognize as 13- ...[more]

PMID: 32667106

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Project description:The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) may aggravate workplace conditions that impact health-care workers' mental health. However, it can also place other stresses on workers outside of their work. This study determines the effect of COVID-19 on symptoms of negative and positive mental health and the workforce's experience with various sources of support. Effect modification by demographic variables was also studied. A cross-sectional survey study, conducted between 2 April and 4 May 2020 (two waves), led to a convenience sample of 4509 health-care workers in Flanders (Belgium), including paramedics (40.6%), nurses (33.4%), doctors (13.4%) and management staff (12.2%). About three in four were employed in university and acute hospitals (29.6%), primary care practices (25.7%), residential care centers (21.3%) or care sites for disabled and mental health care. In each of the two waves, participants were asked how frequently (on a scale of 0-10) they experienced positive and negative mental health symptoms during normal circumstances and during last week, referred to as before and during COVID-19, respectively. These symptoms were stress, hypervigilance, fatigue, difficulty sleeping, unable to relax, fear, irregular lifestyle, flashback, difficulty concentrating, feeling unhappy and dejected, failing to recognize their own emotional response, doubting knowledge and skills and feeling uncomfortable within the team. Associations between COVID-19 and mental health symptoms were estimated by cumulative logit models and reported as odds ratios. The needed support was our secondary outcome and was reported as the degree to which health-care workers relied on sources of support and how they experienced them. All symptoms were significantly more pronounced during versus before COVID-19. For hypervigilance, there was a 12-fold odds (odds ratio 12.24, 95% confidence interval 11.11-13.49) during versus before COVID-19. Positive professional symptoms such as the feeling that one can make a difference were less frequently experienced. The association between COVID-19 and mental health was generally strongest for the age group 30-49 years, females, nurses and residential care centers. Health-care workers reported to rely on support from relatives and peers. A considerable proportion, respectively, 18 and 27%, reported the need for professional guidance from psychologists and more support from their leadership. The toll of the crisis has been heavy on health-care workers. Those who carry leadership positions at an organizational or system level should take this opportunity to develop targeted strategies to mitigate key stressors of health-care workers' mental well-being.

Project description:BackgroundPreliminary country-specific reports suggest that the COVID-19 pandemic has a negative impact on the mental health of the healthcare workforce. In this paper, we summarize the protocol of the COVID-19 HEalth caRe wOrkErS (HEROES) study, an ongoing, global initiative, aimed to describe and track longitudinal trajectories of mental health symptoms and disorders among health care workers at different phases of the pandemic across a wide range of countries in Latin America, Europe, Africa, Middle-East, and Asia.MethodsParticipants from various settings, including primary care clinics, hospitals, nursing homes, and mental health facilities, are being enrolled. In 26 countries, we are using a similar study design with harmonized measures to capture data on COVID-19 related exposures and variables of interest during two years of follow-up. Exposures include potential stressors related to working in healthcare during the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as sociodemographic and clinical factors. Primary outcomes of interest include mental health variables such as psychological distress, depressive symptoms, and posttraumatic stress disorders. Other domains of interest include potentially mediating or moderating influences such as workplace conditions, trust in the government, and the country's income level.ResultsAs of August 2021, ~ 34,000 health workers have been recruited. A general characterization of the recruited samples by sociodemographic and workplace variables is presented. Most participating countries have identified several health facilities where they can identify denominators and attain acceptable response rates. Of the 26 countries, 22 are collecting data and 2 plan to start shortly.ConclusionsThis is one of the most extensive global studies on the mental health of healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic, including a variety of countries with diverse economic realities and different levels of severity of pandemic and management. Moreover, unlike most previous studies, we included workers (clinical and non-clinical staff) in a wide range of settings.

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A health care workers mental health crisis line in the age of COVID-19.

Publications

A health care workers mental health crisis line in the age of COVID-19.

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