Strategies for the Psychological Support of the Healthcare Workforce during the COVID-19 Pandemic: The ERNST Study

Adriana López-Pineda, Irene Carrillo, Aurora Mula, Sofia Guerra-Paiva, Reinhard Strametz, Susanna Tella, Kris Vanhaecht, Massimiliano Panella, Bojana Knezevic, Marius-Ionut Ungureanu, Einav Srulovici, Sandra C. Buttigieg, Ivana Skoumalová, Paulo Sousa, Jose Mira and on behalf of the ERNST Consortium Collaborators
Additional contact information
Adriana López-Pineda: The Foundation for the Promotion of Health and Biomedical Research of Valencia Region, 03550 Alicante, Spain
Irene Carrillo: Health Psychology Department, Miguel Hernandez University, 03202 Elche, Spain
Aurora Mula: The Foundation for the Promotion of Health and Biomedical Research of Valencia Region, 03550 Alicante, Spain
Sofia Guerra-Paiva: Public Health Research Centre, National School of Public Health, NOVA University of Lisbon, 1600-560 Lisbon, Portugal
Reinhard Strametz: Wiesbaden Business School, RheinMain University of Applied Science, 65183 Wiesbaden and German Coalition for Patient Safety, 10179 Berlin, Germany
Susanna Tella: Faculty of Social Services and Health Care, LAB University of Applied Sciences, 53850 Lappeenranta, Finland
Kris Vanhaecht: Department of Quality, University of Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
Massimiliano Panella: Department of Translational Medicine, University of Eastern Piedmont, 28100 Novara, Italy
Bojana Knezevic: Department for Quality Assurance and Improvement in Healthcare, University Hospital Centre Zagreb, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
Marius-Ionut Ungureanu: Department of Public Health, Faculty of Political, Administrative and Communication Sciences, Babeș-Bolyai University, 400376 Cluj-Napoca, Romania
Einav Srulovici: The Cheryl Spencer Department of Nursing, University of Haifa, Haifa 3498838, Israel
Sandra C. Buttigieg: Department of Health Systems Management and Leadership, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Malta, MSD 2080 Msida, Malta
Ivana Skoumalová: Department of Health Psychology and Research Methodology, Faculty of Medicine, Pavol Jozef Safarik University, 040 01 Košice, Slovakia
Paulo Sousa: Public Health Research Centre, National School of Public Health, NOVA University of Lisbon, 1600-560 Lisbon, Portugal
Jose Mira: The Foundation for the Promotion of Health and Biomedical Research of Valencia Region, 03550 Alicante, Spain
on behalf of the ERNST Consortium Collaborators: Collaborators ERNST Consortium: Ahmed Novo (Bosnia and Herzegovina), Andrea Madarasova Geckova (Slovakia), Miriam Ablöscher (Austria), Peter Tavel (Czech Republic), Peter Dieckmann (Denmark), Kaja Polluste (Estonia), Philippe Michel (France), Sigurbjorg Sigurgeirsdottir (Iceland), Mary Tumelty (Ireland), Augustina Jankauskiene (Lithuania), Neda Milevska Kostova (Macedonia), Artiom Jucov (Moldava), Rianne Wennekes (Netherlands), Gunnar Tschudi Bondevik (Norway), Basia Kutryba (Poland), Nebojša Stilinović (Serbia), David Schwappach (Switzerland), Veronica Lindström (Sweden), Pinar Ayvat (Turkey).

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 9, 1-17

Abstract: The COVID-19 pandemic led to the implementation of interventions to provide emotional and psychological support to healthcare workers in many countries. This ecological study aims to describe the strategies implemented in different countries to support healthcare professionals during the outbreak. Data were collected through an online survey about the measures to address the impact of the pandemic on the mental health of healthcare workers. Healthcare professionals, researchers, and academics were invited to respond to the survey. Fifty-six professionals from 35 countries contributed data to this study. Ten countries (28.6%) reported that they did not launch any national interventions. Both developed and developing countries launched similar initiatives. There was no relationship between the existence of any type of initiative in a country with the incidence, lethality, and mortality rates of the country due to COVID-19, and per capita income in 2020. The 24 h hotline for psychological support was the most frequent intervention. Tools for self-rescue by using apps or websites were extensively used, too. Other common interventions were the development of action protocols, availability of regular and updated information, implantation of distance learning systems, early detection of infection programs for professionals, economic reinforcements, hiring of staff reinforcement, and modification of leave and vacation dates.

Keywords: COVID-19; mental health; social support; health personnel; government programs (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
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