Integrated psychological intervention programme for frontline healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. A qualitative study
Introduction: The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic put at risk the resilience of healthcare professionals by exposing them to high levels of stress. Our aim was to identify key elements for implementing the STEP programme, a psychological support service for healthcare professionals. Methods: q...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | Catalan |
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Associació Catalana de Salut Laboral
2024-04-01
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| Series: | Archivos de Prevención de Riesgos Laborales |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://archivosdeprevencion.eu/index.php/aprl/article/view/354 |
| _version_ | 1797202552671961088 |
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| author | Eva Frigola-Capell Laura Fabregas Marta Juanola Mercè Soms Marta Hernández Roser Grau Noelia Alarcón Neus Colomer Jordi Cid Andrés Cuartero-Barbanoj Jordi Garcia |
| author_facet | Eva Frigola-Capell Laura Fabregas Marta Juanola Mercè Soms Marta Hernández Roser Grau Noelia Alarcón Neus Colomer Jordi Cid Andrés Cuartero-Barbanoj Jordi Garcia |
| author_sort | Eva Frigola-Capell |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description |
Introduction: The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic put at risk the resilience of healthcare professionals by exposing them to high levels of stress. Our aim was to identify key elements for implementing the STEP programme, a psychological support service for healthcare professionals.
Methods: qualitative design. The study participants were hospital healthcare staff. Anonymous questionnaires and transcriptions of group interventions and focus groups were used to identify professionals’ preferences to receiving psychological support, needs, concerns, resilience (STEP1.0); constrained emotions and associated thoughts (STEP1.5); perception of self-efficacy on managing emotions (STEP2.0); and the professionals’ profile requiring individual therapy.
Results: Three hundred professionals participated in the study, 100.0% in STEP 1.0 , 27.3% in STEP 1.5, 2.7% in STEP 2.0, and 10.0% in individual interventions. Two hundred and three (67.7%) participants reflected in the survey that they would prefer access to a face-to-face psychological service during working hours. Three consecutive phases with specific needs and concerns were identified: The “cognitive” phase, at the beginning of the pandemic, when infection and self-efficacy were major concerns, the “ventilation” phase, when constrained emotions associated with several factors were expressed; and the “recovery” phase, when the clinical overload decreased and professionals were able to focus on emotion management training. Several personal characteristics associated with referral to individual therapy were identified.
Conclusions: The key characteristics of a psychological support service are proximity, face-to-face interaction during working shifts, and a chronological phase system adapted to different emerging needs.
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| first_indexed | 2024-04-24T08:05:15Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-a0d4231d3ca84b408782c0baeb08fd7a |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1578-2549 |
| language | Catalan |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-24T08:05:15Z |
| publishDate | 2024-04-01 |
| publisher | Associació Catalana de Salut Laboral |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Archivos de Prevención de Riesgos Laborales |
| spelling | doaj.art-a0d4231d3ca84b408782c0baeb08fd7a2024-04-17T12:00:40ZcatAssociació Catalana de Salut LaboralArchivos de Prevención de Riesgos Laborales1578-25492024-04-0127210.12961/aprl.2024.27.02.04Integrated psychological intervention programme for frontline healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. A qualitative studyEva Frigola-Capell0Laura Fabregas1Marta Juanola2Mercè Soms3Marta Hernández4Roser Grau5Noelia Alarcón6Neus Colomer7Jordi Cid8Andrés Cuartero-Barbanoj9Jordi Garcia10Institut Assistència Sanitària; Grup Recerca Salut Mental Fundació Institut Investigació Biomèdica de Girona Dr. Josep Trueta (IDIBGI)Institut d'Assistència Sanitària (IAS), GironaInstitut d'Assistència Sanitària (IAS), GironaInstitut d'Assistència Sanitària (IAS), GironaInstitut d'Assistència Sanitària (IAS), GironaInstitut d'Assistència Sanitària (IAS), GironaInstitut d'Assistència Sanitària (IAS), GironaInstitut d'Assistència Sanitària (IAS), GironaInstitut d'Assistència Sanitària (IAS), GironaInstitut d'Assistència Sanitària (IAS), GironaInstitut d'Assistència Sanitària (IAS), Girona Introduction: The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic put at risk the resilience of healthcare professionals by exposing them to high levels of stress. Our aim was to identify key elements for implementing the STEP programme, a psychological support service for healthcare professionals. Methods: qualitative design. The study participants were hospital healthcare staff. Anonymous questionnaires and transcriptions of group interventions and focus groups were used to identify professionals’ preferences to receiving psychological support, needs, concerns, resilience (STEP1.0); constrained emotions and associated thoughts (STEP1.5); perception of self-efficacy on managing emotions (STEP2.0); and the professionals’ profile requiring individual therapy. Results: Three hundred professionals participated in the study, 100.0% in STEP 1.0 , 27.3% in STEP 1.5, 2.7% in STEP 2.0, and 10.0% in individual interventions. Two hundred and three (67.7%) participants reflected in the survey that they would prefer access to a face-to-face psychological service during working hours. Three consecutive phases with specific needs and concerns were identified: The “cognitive” phase, at the beginning of the pandemic, when infection and self-efficacy were major concerns, the “ventilation” phase, when constrained emotions associated with several factors were expressed; and the “recovery” phase, when the clinical overload decreased and professionals were able to focus on emotion management training. Several personal characteristics associated with referral to individual therapy were identified. Conclusions: The key characteristics of a psychological support service are proximity, face-to-face interaction during working shifts, and a chronological phase system adapted to different emerging needs. https://archivosdeprevencion.eu/index.php/aprl/article/view/354COVID-19; Mental health; Health personnel; Crisis intervention; Stress disorders |
| spellingShingle | Eva Frigola-Capell Laura Fabregas Marta Juanola Mercè Soms Marta Hernández Roser Grau Noelia Alarcón Neus Colomer Jordi Cid Andrés Cuartero-Barbanoj Jordi Garcia Integrated psychological intervention programme for frontline healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. A qualitative study Archivos de Prevención de Riesgos Laborales COVID-19; Mental health; Health personnel; Crisis intervention; Stress disorders |
| title | Integrated psychological intervention programme for frontline healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. A qualitative study |
| title_full | Integrated psychological intervention programme for frontline healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. A qualitative study |
| title_fullStr | Integrated psychological intervention programme for frontline healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. A qualitative study |
| title_full_unstemmed | Integrated psychological intervention programme for frontline healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. A qualitative study |
| title_short | Integrated psychological intervention programme for frontline healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. A qualitative study |
| title_sort | integrated psychological intervention programme for frontline healthcare workers during the covid 19 pandemic a qualitative study |
| topic | COVID-19; Mental health; Health personnel; Crisis intervention; Stress disorders |
| url | https://archivosdeprevencion.eu/index.php/aprl/article/view/354 |
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