Improving the wellbeing and resilience of health services staff via psychological skills training

Exploring the impact of recovery funding on the well-being and health workforce capability of rural practices during natural disasters and emergencies

INTRODUCTION

This study examines the impact of funding provided to support the well-being of rural health practitioners and their practice staff following the 2019-2022 bushfires.

OBJECTIVE

To assess the benefits and implications of grant funding for rural practices to aid recovery following bushfires in NSW, Australia.

DESIGN

An explanatory sequential mixed method design consisted of a survey and a thematic analysis of semi-structured Interviews.

FINDINGS

Five key themes emerged from analysis: (1) the disasters altered the role of the practice and therapeutic relationships; (2) the funding had a positive impact on access to professional development; (3) the training had a positive impact on staff well-being and resilience; (4) the professional development had a positive impact on rural practitioner's sense of capability; and (5) important elements of future grant opportunities.

DISCUSSION

The findings indicate the importance of recovering funding to facilitate access to professional development for rural health practioners during natural disasters which improved their mental health and wellbeing, capability and support to clients.

CONCLUSION

Recovery funding facilitated improvement in workforce capability, professional resilience, mental health and well-being in the face of natural disasters and emergencies. There was a link between training and maintaining the capability of rural health care practitioners and their practice staff. Capability was an important factor in the well-being and resilience of the health workforce and their ability to support clients.

Potential resilience treatments for orangutans (Pongo spp.): Lessons from a scoping review of interventions in humans and other animals

Wild orangutans (Pongo spp.) rescued from human-wildlife conflict must be adequately rehabilitated before being returned to the wild. It is essential that released orangutans are able to cope with stressful challenges such as food scarcity, navigating unfamiliar environments, and regaining independence from human support. Although practical skills are taught to orangutans in rehabilitation centres, post-release survival rates are low. Psychological resilience, or the ability to 'bounce back' from stress, may be a key missing piece of the puzzle. However, there is very little knowledge about species-appropriate interventions which could help captive orangutans increase resilience to stress. This scoping review summarises and critically analyses existing human and non-human animal resilience literature and provides suggestions for the development of interventions for orangutans in rehabilitation. Three scientific databases were searched in 2021 and 2023, resulting in 63 human studies and 266 non-human animal studies. The first section brings together human resilience interventions, identifying common themes and assessing the applicability of human interventions to orangutans in rehabilitation. The second section groups animal interventions into categories of direct stress, separation stress, environmental conditions, social stress, and exercise. In each category, interventions are critically analysed to evaluate their potential for orangutans in rehabilitation. The results show that mild and manageable forms of intervention have the greatest potential benefit with the least amount of risk. The study concludes by emphasising the need for further investigation and experimentation, to develop appropriate interventions and measure their effect on the post-release survival rate of orangutans.

Experience of cardiopulmonary resuscitation by healthcare professionals in emergency departments: A descriptive phenomenological study

BACKGROUND

Emergency department healthcare professionals have the most contact with patients in cardiac arrest, and their physical and mental state has a significant impact on the quality of cardiopulmonary resuscitation and patient outcomes. However, there is limited research discussing the experience of resuscitation by emergency department healthcare professionals.

AIM

To explore the experiences of emergency department healthcare professionals in performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation.

METHODS

A descriptive phenomenological study. The study used purposive sampling and selected 9 nurses and 6 physicians from the emergency departments of four general hospitals of different levels in western China between May 2022 and October 2022. Semi-structured interview guides and face-to-face interviews were used to collect information. Colaizzi analysis was used to analyze the data.

RESULTS

The study identified 3 themes and 11 sub-themes. These themes and sub-themes include 1) emotional experience (A sense of achievement, A sense of powerlessness and trauma, Stress, Empathy, Psychological resilience strengthens), 2) cognitive growth (Understanding CPR rationally, Increasing concern for personal and family health, Mastering self-relaxation methods), and 3) the desire for continued development (Seeking professional development, Hoping for professional psychological assistance, Strengthening team support).

CONCLUSIONS

The experience of performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation by healthcare professionals in emergency departments is dynamic, with changes in mood and cognitive growth. Managers in hospitals should pay attention to their experiences and need at different stages of career development and actively carry out targeted cognitive guidance, skills training, and psychological support to help them achieve professional development and physical and mental health. At the same time, to promote the development of CPR for all, it is recommended that the authorities actively improve the public infrastructure for first aid and related policy protection.

An organizational approach to improve staff resiliency and wellness during the COVID-19 pandemic

Healthcare worker burnout is a well-established phenomenon known to affect an individual's mental state, and has been shown to be diminished amongst individuals with higher levels of resilience. From a leadership perspective, practices that drive and inspire others to demonstrate resilience and surpass their own expectations fosters a resilient culture and allows employees to view adversity as an opportunity while knowing that support is omnipresent. In this paper, we describe and evaluate the outcomes of a virtual organizational intervention during the COVID-19 pandemic aimed to reduce healthcare staff burnout, and improve their levels of resilience, well-being, and self-compassion. Participants reported the workshops were relevant and provided strategies for wellness that were easy to incorporate into their daily routine. By nurturing one's own personal well-being through resiliency strategies learned in this educational series, staff can enact strategies to care for themselves, which in turn can contribute to organizational wide healthy work environments, improved health system outcomes, and enhanced patient care.

Designing the Well-Being of Romanians by Achieving Mental Health with Digital Methods and Public Health Promotion

Taking care of mental health is a state of mind. Amid the challenges of the current context, mental health has become one of the problems with the greatest impact on citizens and the evolution of any economy. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, people have become more anxious, solitary, preoccupied with themselves, and depressed because their entire universe has changed, by restricting their social and professional life; the increase in concern caused by a possible illness of them or those close to them made to isolate themselves. Two qualitative (group and in-depth interviews) and one survey-based quantitative research were carried out, which allowed the quantification of the opinions, perceptions, and attitudes of Romanians regarding the effectiveness of policies for the prevention and treatment of depression. Quantitative research revealed that most of the subjects had never participated in a mental health assessment, and a quarter of them had visited a mental health specialist more than two years ago. Based on the results, proposals were elaborated, which have been addressed both to the specialists from the Ministry of Health and to those from the academic environment, that may have an impact on the elaboration of some public mental health programs.

Resilience Training Programs in Organizational Contexts: A Scoping Review

The importance of resilience for employees' well-being and performance at work has grown steadily in recent years. This development has become even more pronounced through the recent COVID-19 pandemic and its consequences, including major changes in occupational settings. Although there is increasing interest in resilience in general and a growing number of publications focusing on the development of resilience in particular, many questions remain about resilience training, especially in organizational contexts. The purpose of this scoping review is to uncover what is known about resilience training in organizational contexts. A systematic search of four databases for articles published through 2021 was conducted. A total of 48 studies focusing on resilience training programs in organizational contexts were included in this review. The review provides relevant insights into resilience training programs by focusing on program characteristics, target group, study design, and outcomes. Based on the results, the main aspects that concern the development of resilience training programs for organizational settings and requirements for the study design for empirical investigation were summarized. The results of the review highlight possible directions for future research and offer useful insights for resilience-enhancing training programs in organizations.

Using the Intervention Mapping Approach to Develop a Mental Health Intervention: A Case Study on Improving the Reporting Standards for Developing Psychological Interventions

Replicating or distilling information from psychological interventions reported in the scientific literature is hindered by inadequate reporting, despite the existence of various methodologies to guide study reporting and intervention development. This article provides an in-depth explanation of the scientific development process for a mental health intervention, and by doing so illustrates how intervention development methodologies can be used to improve development reporting standards of interventions. Intervention development was guided by the Intervention Mapping approach and the Theoretical Domains Framework. It relied on an extensive literature review, input from a multi-disciplinary group of stakeholders and the learnings from projects on similar psychological interventions. The developed programme, called the “Be Well Plan”, focuses on self-exploration to determine key motivators, resources and challenges to improve mental health outcomes. The programme contains an online assessment to build awareness about one’s mental health status. In combination with the exploration of different evidence-based mental health activities from various therapeutic backgrounds, the programme teaches individuals to create a personalised mental health and wellbeing plan. The use of best-practice intervention development frameworks and evidence-based behavioural change techniques aims to ensure optimal intervention impact, while reporting on the development process provides researchers and other stakeholders with an ability to scientifically interrogate and replicate similar psychological interventions.

Testing the Differential Impact of an Internet-Based Mental Health Intervention on Outcomes of Well-being and Psychological Distress During COVID-19: Uncontrolled Intervention Study

BACKGROUND

During COVID-19, the psychological distress and well-being of the general population has been precarious, increasing the need to determine the impact of complementary internet-based psychological interventions on both positive mental health as well as distress states. Psychological distress and mental well-being represent distinct dimensions of our mental health, and congruent changes in outcomes of distress and well-being do not necessarily co-occur within individuals. When testing intervention impact, it is therefore important to assess change in both outcomes at the individual level, rather than solely testing group differences in average scores at the group level.

OBJECTIVE

This study set out to investigate the differential impact of an internet-based group mental health intervention on outcomes of positive mental health (ie, well-being, life satisfaction, resilience) and indicators of psychological distress (ie, depression, anxiety, stress).

METHODS

A 5-week mental health intervention was delivered to 89 participants using the Zoom platform during 2020. Impact on outcomes of distress, well-being, and resilience was assessed at the start and end of the program with multiple analysis of variance (MANOVA) and reliable change indices (RCIs) being used to determine program impact at the group and individual levels, respectively.

RESULTS

The intervention significantly improved all mental health outcomes measured, (F6,83=5.60, P<.001; Wilks Λ=.71; partial η2=.29) showing small to moderate effect sizes on individual outcomes. The largest effect sizes were observed for life satisfaction and overall well-being (η2=.22 and η2=.2, respectively). Larger effect sizes were noted for those with problematic mental health scores at baseline. A total of 92% (82/89) of participants demonstrated reliable change in at least one mental health outcome. Differential response patterns using RCI revealed that more than one-half of the participants showed improvement in both mental well-being and psychological distress, over one-quarter in outcomes of well-being only, and almost one-fifth in distress only.

CONCLUSIONS

The results provide evidence for the significant impact of an internet-based mental health intervention during COVID-19 and indicate the importance of assessing dimensions of both well-being and distress when determining mental health intervention effectiveness.

Applying the Ottawa Charter to guide resilience-building programs for health care organizations

Resilience is situated at the core of the World Health Organization European policy framework for health and well-being and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Resilience refers to how effectively a person, group, or system deals with and recovers from challenging situations. In this paper resilience refers to the capacity of a health care professional to manage complex issues and adapt to situations successfully. This brief paper provides explicit knowledge for strengthening personal resilience in health care using the Ottawa Charter framework as a guide. Developing a resilient health care workforce should address all five Ottawa Charter areas of action, should involve multiple stakeholders, and should incorporate resilience strategies into everyday health care activities. The paper presents recommendations for future programs designed to build a resilient workforce that can provide high quality care in a sustainable manner.

The Importance of Well-Being on Resiliency of Filipino Adults During the COVID-19 Enhanced Community Quarantine: A Necessary Condition Analysis

Nation-wide community quarantines and social distancing are part of the new normal because of the global COVID-19 pandemic. Since extensive and prolonged lockdowns are relatively novel experiences, not much is known about the well-being of individuals in such extreme situations. This research effort investigated the relationship between well-being elements and resiliency of 533 Filipino adults who were placed under the nationwide enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) during the COVID-19 pandemic. Participants comprised of 376 females (70.56%) and 157 males (29.45%). The median and mode ages of the participants is 23 years, while 25 is the mean age. PERMA Profiler was used to measure participants’ well-being elements, while Connor-Davidson Resiliency Scale-10 (CD-RISC-10) was used to measure their resiliency. Collected data were analyzed using the regression model and necessary condition analysis. This study corroborated that all the five pillars of well-being are significant positive correlates of resiliency (p < 0.00) in quarantined adults. The results shown accomplishment (β = 0.447, p < 0.01) positively predicts resiliency, while negative emotions (β = −0.171, p < 0.00) negatively predict resiliency. Lastly, the five pillars of well-being are necessary-but-not-sufficient conditions (ceiling envelopment with free disposal hull, CE-FDH p < 0.00) of resiliency. Our results cast a new light on well-being elements as constraints rather than enablers of resiliency. This novel result shows that optimum resiliency is only possible when all the five pillars of well-being are taken care of and when a person is at least minimally contented with their physical health. The present findings underscore the importance of a holistic as against an atomistic approach to maintaining good mental health, which suggests that deficiencies in certain areas of well-being may not be fully addressed by overcompensating on other areas, as all five pillars of well-being are necessary-but-not-sufficient conditions of resiliency. The study ends with the recommendation for the use of necessary condition analysis to study both classical and novel psychological research problems.

Improving the Wellbeing of Female Prisoners via Psychological Skills Training: A Feasibility Study

Prisoners display significantly higher rates of mental disorders and lower mental wellbeing than the general population. The integration of positive psychological interventions in offender supervision has received recent advocacy. The aim of the current pre-post pilot study was to determine the short-term effects of group-based resilience training on mental health outcomes for female offenders and explore intervention acceptability. Offenders (n = 24) self-selected to partake in a multi-component psychological skill program based on positive psychology, cognitive-behavioural therapy, and mindfulness-based activities. The training was taught in nine sessions of 1.5 hr each. Baseline and follow-up measurements of mental wellbeing and psychological distress were collected and focus groups conducted to investigate participants' experiences, acceptability, and appropriateness of the training. Moderate to large effect sizes indicating significant improvements were observed for wellbeing, g = 0.75 and distress, g = 0.56. Training was well received by participants and staff and was delivered feasibly within the prison context. The results are encouraging, and a future well-powered study using a rigorous controlled design is warranted.

Core components of a staff wellness strategy in emergency departments: A clinician-informed nominal group study

OBJECTIVE

Busy, high-stress EDs prompt many work-based interventions to address staff wellness, with mixed success. The aim of the present study was to enable ED clinicians to systematically identify core components of a work-based strategy to improve their working environment and/or coping.

METHODS

Purposively sampled ED doctors and nurses from one health service were invited to participate in modified nominal group technique. Participants identified, from a pre-defined list, a key ED stressor and then discussed and ratified proposed core components of a work-based strategy to address or ameliorate this stressor.

RESULTS

Two nominal group technique sessions were held with a total of 10 participants (n = 7 nurses and n = 3 doctors). Participants proposed several strategies aimed at both individual and organisational levels to address occupational stress and coping, and support staff well-being in the workplace. These included mobile/web-based applications, group counselling sessions, yoga, social activities, team building activities and debriefing. Participants described three key components to promote staff wellness and hence enhance their ability to buffer negative aspects of occupational stress: (i) increased individual and team support; (ii) development of professional resilience; and (iii) maximising opportunities for social connection.

CONCLUSIONS

Ensuring appropriate systems, services and support for ED staff should be a priority at local departmental, wider organisational and governmental levels. ED clinicians are ideally placed to identify such systems, services and supports. Managers and policy makers can use these findings to inform the implementation of interventions in EDs.