RESUMEN
The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) has accounted for more than 25 000 cases in Ireland with approximately 28% of the clusters in nursing homes as of June 2020. The older population is the most vulnerable to serious complications from this illness and over 90% of deaths due to COVID-19 to date have been in patients over the age of 65. Continuing to provide routine care within nursing homes in these challenging times is an essential part of ensuring that presentations to hospitals for non-essential reasons are minimized. In this article, we describe a project being undertaken by a rural Psychiatry of Old Age Service in the northwest of Ireland. We aim to provide ordinary care in extraordinary times by using mobile tablets within the nursing homes and long-stay facilities in our region for remote video consultations during the COVID-19 crisis.
RESUMEN
Background: The COVID-19 Pandemic had a significant negative impact on the mental health of healthcare workers (HCWs). Evidence-based interventions that could be used to mitigate this impact are lacking in the literature. This review aims to evaluate psychological interventions used for employees following previous disasters and assess the transferability of these interventions to a healthcare setting during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: Intervention information from a previously published systematic review of the literature published up to 2015 was extracted, and an additional search of studies published from 2015–2020 was conducted. Studies were assessed for transferability using a checklist derived from the PIET-T process model. Results: Interventions from eighteen studies were assessed for transferability (including three studies identified in an updated literature search). Interventions established as most transferable included resilience training, meditation/mindfulness interventions, and cognitive behavioural therapy. Psychological debriefing was transferable but as it is contrary to current recommendations is not deemed appropriate for adoption. Conclusions: Several existing interventions have the potential to be utilised within the COVID-19 context/ pandemic. More research needs to be undertaken in this area to assess these interventions upon transfer. © Journal of Public Health and Emergency. All rights reserved.
RESUMEN
Since the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been increased interest in identifying ways of protecting the mental well-being of healthcare workers (HCWs). Much of this has been directed towards promoting and enhancing the resilience of those deemed as frontline workers. Based on a review of the extant literature, this paper seeks to problematise aspects of how 'frontline work' and 'resilience' are currently conceptualised. Firstly, frontline work is arbitrarily defined and often narrowly focused on acute, hospital-based settings, leading to the needs of HCWs in other sectors of the healthcare system being overlooked. Secondly, dominant narratives are often underpinned by a reductionist understanding of the concept of resilience, whereby solutions are built around addressing the perceived deficiencies of (frontline) HCWs rather than the structural antecedents of distress. The paper concludes by considering what interventions are appropriate to minimise the risk of burnout across all sectors of the healthcare system in a post-pandemic environment.
RESUMEN
BACKGROUND: Previous literature has highlighted high rates of burnout among doctors and nurses in healthcare settings. Non-clinical and support staff such as administrative, housekeeping and managerial staff are also exposed to the stressors of a health care setting, but fewer studies report on their experiences. Therefore, the aim of this research is to examine occupational stress in all staff working in Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) in Ireland and identify risk and protective factors. METHOD: Fifty-nine clinical and non-clinical staff (44% response rate) were surveyed. Participants completed the Copenhagen Burnout Inventory (CBI) and the Effort Reward Imbalance scale, as well as survey-specific questions. RESULTS: Both clinical and non-clinical staff were found to experience moderate or high rates of work-related, personal and patient-related burnout (57.6%, 52.2% and 50.8%, respectively). Univariate general linear modelling showed an association between total CBI scores and effort reward index (B = 64 306, t = 3.430, p = 0.001); overcommitment (B = 1.963, t = 3.061, p = 0.003); and an unwillingness to work in CAMHS (B = 28.429, t = 3.247, p = 0.002). CONCLUSION: Pre-pandemic levels of stress were high among clinical and non-clinical staff surveyed. Given the anticipated increased demand on CAMHS post COVID-19, urgent action is needed to protect all staff from intolerable levels of occupational stress and burnout.