Mental health and well-being of healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in the UK: contrasting guidelines with experiences in practice
Background Substantial evidence has highlighted the importance of considering the mental health of healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic, and several organisations have issued guidelines with recommendations. However, the definition of well-being and the evidence base behind such guideline...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Cambridge University Press
2021-01-01
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| Series: | BJPsych Open |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S2056472420001489/type/journal_article |
| _version_ | 1811156911737798656 |
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| author | Norha Vera San Juan David Aceituno Nehla Djellouli Kirsi Sumray Nina Regenold Aron Syversen Sophie Mulcahy Symmons Anna Dowrick Lucy Mitchinson Georgina Singleton Cecilia Vindrola-Padros |
| author_facet | Norha Vera San Juan David Aceituno Nehla Djellouli Kirsi Sumray Nina Regenold Aron Syversen Sophie Mulcahy Symmons Anna Dowrick Lucy Mitchinson Georgina Singleton Cecilia Vindrola-Padros |
| author_sort | Norha Vera San Juan |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Background
Substantial evidence has highlighted the importance of considering the mental health of healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic, and several organisations have issued guidelines with recommendations. However, the definition of well-being and the evidence base behind such guidelines remain unclear.
Aims
The aims of the study are to assess the applicability of well-being guidelines in practice, identify unaddressed healthcare workers’ needs and provide recommendations for supporting front-line staff during the current and future pandemics.
Method
This paper discusses the findings of a qualitative study based on interviews with front-line healthcare workers in the UK (n = 33), and examines them in relation to a rapid review of well-being guidelines developed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic (n = 14).
Results
The guidelines placed greater emphasis on individual mental health and psychological support, whereas healthcare workers placed greater emphasis on structural conditions at work, responsibilities outside the hospital and the invaluable support of the community. The well-being support interventions proposed in the guidelines did not always respond to the lived experiences of staff, as some reported not being able to participate in these interventions because of understaffing, exhaustion or clashing schedules.
Conclusions
Healthcare workers expressed well-being needs that aligned with socio-ecological conceptualisations of well-being related to quality of life. This approach to well-being has been highlighted in literature on support of healthcare workers in previous health emergencies, but it has not been monitored during this pandemic. Well-being guidelines should explore the needs of healthcare workers, and contextual characteristics affecting the implementation of recommendations.
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| first_indexed | 2024-04-10T04:59:03Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-587da6620f17496d8502aec3cd28e86d |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2056-4724 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-10T04:59:03Z |
| publishDate | 2021-01-01 |
| publisher | Cambridge University Press |
| record_format | Article |
| series | BJPsych Open |
| spelling | doaj.art-587da6620f17496d8502aec3cd28e86d2023-03-09T12:29:06ZengCambridge University PressBJPsych Open2056-47242021-01-01710.1192/bjo.2020.148Mental health and well-being of healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in the UK: contrasting guidelines with experiences in practiceNorha Vera San Juan0https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8677-7341David Aceituno1https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2967-5816Nehla Djellouli2Kirsi Sumray3Nina Regenold4Aron Syversen5Sophie Mulcahy Symmons6Anna Dowrick7Lucy Mitchinson8Georgina Singleton9Cecilia Vindrola-Padros10Department of Health Service and Population Research, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, UK; and Rapid Research Evaluation and Appraisal Lab, University College London, UKDepartment of Health Service and Population Research, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, UK; and Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, Pontifical Catholic University of Chile, ChileInstitute for Global Health, University College London, UK; and Rapid Research Evaluation and Appraisal Lab, University College London, UKInstitute of Epidemiology and Health Care, University College London, UKDepartment of Anthropology, University College London, UKInstitute of Epidemiology and Health Care, University College London, UKInstitute of Epidemiology and Health Care, University College London, UKInstitute of Population Health Science, Queen Mary University of London, UKMarie Curie Palliative Care Research Department, University College London, UKHealth Services Research Centre, National Institute of Academic Anaesthesia, London, UK; and Rapid Research Evaluation and Appraisal Lab, University College London, UKDepartment of Targeted Intervention, University College London, UK; and Rapid Research Evaluation and Appraisal Lab, University College London, UKBackground Substantial evidence has highlighted the importance of considering the mental health of healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic, and several organisations have issued guidelines with recommendations. However, the definition of well-being and the evidence base behind such guidelines remain unclear. Aims The aims of the study are to assess the applicability of well-being guidelines in practice, identify unaddressed healthcare workers’ needs and provide recommendations for supporting front-line staff during the current and future pandemics. Method This paper discusses the findings of a qualitative study based on interviews with front-line healthcare workers in the UK (n = 33), and examines them in relation to a rapid review of well-being guidelines developed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic (n = 14). Results The guidelines placed greater emphasis on individual mental health and psychological support, whereas healthcare workers placed greater emphasis on structural conditions at work, responsibilities outside the hospital and the invaluable support of the community. The well-being support interventions proposed in the guidelines did not always respond to the lived experiences of staff, as some reported not being able to participate in these interventions because of understaffing, exhaustion or clashing schedules. Conclusions Healthcare workers expressed well-being needs that aligned with socio-ecological conceptualisations of well-being related to quality of life. This approach to well-being has been highlighted in literature on support of healthcare workers in previous health emergencies, but it has not been monitored during this pandemic. Well-being guidelines should explore the needs of healthcare workers, and contextual characteristics affecting the implementation of recommendations. https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S2056472420001489/type/journal_articleCOVID-19healthcare workerswell-beingqualitative researchrapid review |
| spellingShingle | Norha Vera San Juan David Aceituno Nehla Djellouli Kirsi Sumray Nina Regenold Aron Syversen Sophie Mulcahy Symmons Anna Dowrick Lucy Mitchinson Georgina Singleton Cecilia Vindrola-Padros Mental health and well-being of healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in the UK: contrasting guidelines with experiences in practice BJPsych Open COVID-19 healthcare workers well-being qualitative research rapid review |
| title | Mental health and well-being of healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in the UK: contrasting guidelines with experiences in practice |
| title_full | Mental health and well-being of healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in the UK: contrasting guidelines with experiences in practice |
| title_fullStr | Mental health and well-being of healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in the UK: contrasting guidelines with experiences in practice |
| title_full_unstemmed | Mental health and well-being of healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in the UK: contrasting guidelines with experiences in practice |
| title_short | Mental health and well-being of healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in the UK: contrasting guidelines with experiences in practice |
| title_sort | mental health and well being of healthcare workers during the covid 19 pandemic in the uk contrasting guidelines with experiences in practice |
| topic | COVID-19 healthcare workers well-being qualitative research rapid review |
| url | https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S2056472420001489/type/journal_article |
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