Protocol for the Management of the Psychological Safety of Health Personnel in Health Emergencies

ABSTRACT

"Introduction: The significant effects on mental health and the increase in psychosocial risks of health personnel during the COVID-19 pandemic have required the development of strategies that help control it, which are consistent with the complexity of this problem, which involves different levels of analysis. Objective: To propose a protocol for the management of the psychological safety of health personnel during health emergencies. Methods: An action research was conducted at ""Lucía Íñiguez Landín"" Hospital in Holguín, Cuba. The protocol was developed and implemented during four phases of the COVID-19 health emergency. The Delphi method of experts was used for content validation. Results: The protocol completes the management cycle by planning, organizing, implementing and evaluating the actions carried out to fulfill the purpose of developing reasonable psychological safety at the individual level, the safe behavior of the work teams and thereby contributing to the resilience and sustainability of the institution. The validation process during COVID-19 verified its content validity and the relevance of its use in similar situations that might arise in the future. Conclusions: The management of psychological safety in health emergencies, through a theoretically and methodologically based protocol of a multidisciplinary, preventive and systemic nature, opens a new perspective for diagnosis, psychological intervention at the level of individual, of work team in areas of high hospital risk and organization, while allowing the evaluation of the actions carried out. © 2022, Editorial Ciencias Medicas. All rights reserved."