INNOVATIONS IN HEALTHCARE WORKER WELL-BEING: AN AUSTRALIAN FIRST PEER SUPPORT INITIATIVE D Bil1

ABSTRACT

Background: Healthcare workers experience burnout, psychological distress and suicide at higher rates than the general population. The stressors inherent to these professions have been magnified during the COVID-19 pandemic. In response, in early 2020, a group of doctors, nurses and allied health practitioners developed Handn- Hand Peer Support Inc. (Helping Australian and New Zealand Nurses and Doctors). Objectives: This programme provides group or one-toone peer support to colleagues in a pre-clinical setting and aims to reduce the rates of distress and improve the wellbeing of its participants. In addition, Hand-n-Hand aims to provide effective peer support training to facilitators to ensure healthcare workers are appropriately supported. Methods: Data have been collected using quantitative and qualitative means since Hand-n-Hand's inception to monitor the uptake of peer support over time and impact on healthcare worker well-being. Social media and website traffic statistics have been monitored and compared to national lockdowns, COVID-19 outbreaks and referrals to Hand-n-Hand. Baseline confidential data has also been collected from each participant and facilitator who signs up for peer support. Finally, a mixed-methods survey has been provided to all participants for quality assessment purposes in addition to targeted interviews with volunteer group facilitators. Findings: There has been consistent uptake of Hand-n- Hand's peer support programme across various platforms. Hand-n-Hand has a strong social media presence and the Facebook peer support group continues to grow. More than 200 healthcare workers have referred themselves for small group or one-to-one peer support since March 2020. More than 90 healthcare workers have taken part in peer support training delivered by the team at Handn- Hand. Participants and group facilitators alike have found involvement with Hand-n-Hand beneficial for their well-being and personally rewarding. Based on the initial feedback, Hand-n-Hand will be expanding to incorporate medical schools in the peer support process from 2022, beginning with James Cook University and aim to reach colleagues in more isolated areas of practice such as rural and remote Australia. Conclusion: Hand-n-Hand began as a simple idea but has evolved into a bi-national early intervention pre-clinical support service for healthcare workers. Requests for peer support continue to increase and long-term funding solutions are imperative to ensure Hand-n-Hand can scale up its operations to meet the demand of the population.