Well-being Of Workforce Research Articles

HOLISTIC HEALTHCARE CYBERSECURITY

The real and pervasive epidemic our nation is experiencing with burnout in multiple industries, to include healthcare and cyber. The common reasons for burnout are remarkably similar in high stress, high pressure, and high visibility industries such as Healthcare and Cybersecurity. Not only are professionals in these industries expected to function at their highest capacity on a continual, ongoing basis, with minimal resources, budgets, and tools, but they are also mission critical where small mistakes can have a massive detrimental impact. It is time to move into a “work well” mindset by focusing on internal mental health and well-being in leadership so that leaders can lead from within and serve their organizations and their people “well”. By looking at our workforce as a comradery of human beings, it is crucial to understand the five essential parts that make up workforce well-being and the phenomenon of the whole person coming to work.

Mental health, well-being and support interventions for UK ambulance services staff: an evidence map, 2000 to 2020.

Background:Prior to COVID-19 there had been a renewed policy focus in the National Health Service on the health and well-being of the healthcare workforce, with the ambulance sector identified as a priority area. This focus is more important than ever as the sector deals with the acute and longer-term consequences of a pandemic.Aim:To systematically identify, summarise and map the evidence regarding mental health, well-being and support interventions for United Kingdom ambulance services staff and to identify evidence gaps.Method:Evidence mapping methodology of published and grey original research published in English from 1 January 2000 to 23 May 2020 describing the health risk, mental health and/or well-being of UK ambulance services staff including retired staff, volunteers and students. MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsychINFO, CINAHL and AMED databases, plus EThOS, Zetoc, OpenGrey and Google, were searched, alongside hand-searching of grey literature and bibliographies. Information was extracted on study aims, sample, design and methodology, funding source, country and key findings. Included studies were categorised into seven a priori theme areas.Results:Of 1862 identified articles, 45 peer-reviewed studies are included as well as 24 grey literature documents. Peer-reviewed research was largely observational and focused on prevalence studies, post-traumatic stress disorder or organisational and individual social factors related to health and well-being. Most grey literature reported the development and testing of interventions. Across all study types, underpinning theory was often not cited.Conclusion:To date, intervention research has largely been funded by charities and published in the grey literature. Few studies were identified on self-harm, bullying, sleep and fatigue or alcohol and substance use. Theoretically informed intervention development and testing, including adaptation of innovations from other countries and 24-hour workforces, is needed. This evidence map provides important context for planning of staff well-being provision and research as the sector responds to and recovers from the pandemic.PROSPERO registration number:CRD42018104659.

The Cost of Caring: ICU workload stressors and the Saudi Arabian nurse

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to share insights, research findings and discuss key issues related to workload factors and their influence on the wellbeing of ICU nurses working in a Saudi Arabian hospital. Design/methodology/approach: The authors used a mixed method approach and using a convergent parallel mixed methods design which included separate analysis of the quantitative and the qualitative data, which were collected separately. Within this mixed methods design, the two different types of the data were synthesized for a deeper understanding of the current topic.his paper will focus on the qualitative dataset of the study. A purposive, non-probability sampling strategy was used to recruit nurses to participate in the semi-structured interviews about their workplace experiences.All consenting registered nurses, with a current and valid Saudi Council Registration, who were able to speak English, were included in the study. Tesch’s method of data analysis was used to code and categorize data to construct a shared understanding reflective of the experiences of participants and the researcher as both constructing the meanings given. Findings: The findings from the study were aligned to the JDR Model and provided evidence that ICU nurses experienced various workload factors influencing their wellbeing and productivity. These high job demands lead to strain and health impairment, associated with decreased job satisfaction amongst staff working in the ICUs of Saudi Arabian hospitals. The researcher was therefore able to propose and develop guidelines for the implementation of a comprehensive managerial framework that explicated workload factors and its influence on well-being among the ICU nurses. Research limitations/implications: The limitation that was faced by the researcher was the timeline for conducting the current research, which was governed by the University’s policies and protocol. The recruitment of participants, included ICU nurses within a group of critical care units of one hospital and excluded nurse managers. This could potentially limit the generalizability of the findings to managers at other clinical areas in the hospital regarding their perceptions of the workload and well-being among nurses in general. Despite some of these limitations, the following conclusions could be drawn and recommendations made based on these conclusions. Practical implications: Healthcare organisation across the globe is challenged to achieve nurse workforce stability, safety, and well-being. It was evident that the participants experienced many workload challenges that influenced their wellbeing within the various ICUs. This study sets out the key messages for health care managers to empower and to meet the needs of ICU nurse related to health and well-being. The findings formed the foundation for management contribution to provide improved and seamless support to the health and well-being of ICU nurses. This approach is a guide to support the nurses to work collaboratively with all key professionals and stakeholders to deliver improved quality of life and health outcomes for both the nurses and the patients under their care. Originality/value: This paper explores the various dimensions of workload factors as experienced by Saudi Arabian ICU nurses and its influence on their wellbeing. The authors were able to explore these dimensions from a national and international perspective within a from diverse and multicultural population base.

Lessons learned from pharmacy learner and educator experiences during early stages of COVID-19 pandemic.

DisclaimerIn an effort to expedite the publication of articles related to the COVID-19 pandemic, AJHP is posting these manuscripts online as soon as possible after acceptance. Accepted manuscripts have been peer-reviewed and copyedited, but are posted online before technical formatting and author proofing. These manuscripts are not the final version of record and will be replaced with the final article (formatted per AJHP style and proofed by the authors) at a later time.PurposeTo explore pharmacy learner (eg, resident, fellow) and educator (eg, residency program director, preceptor) experiences and lessons learned during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.MethodsIn May 2020, attendees of the virtual Research in Education and Practice Symposium (REPS) were invited to participate in two 1-hour networking sessions. During these sessions, participants completed individual and group reflection exercises during which they were asked questions about their experiences during the initial stages of the COVID-19 pandemic. Participants who volunteered submitted their responses through an electronic survey application. Anonymous responses were coded using thematic analysis to address the research questions.ResultsSixty-eight and 38 participants, respectively, attended the 2 networking discussions. Participant-identified professional impacts of the COVID-19 crisis included unexpected learning experiences, greater adaptability, workflow and learning interruptions, and decreased productivity. Personal impacts included a greater focus on well-being, physical and social isolation, and changes in travel plans. Participants noted positive and negative emotions including acceptance, encouragement, anxiety, stress, and frustration. The main lessons learned focused on adaptability, gratitude, and empathy. Participants indicated that they would have from foreknowledge of the anticipated duration of the pandemic, associated workflow changes, and the reliance on technology the pandemic would engender. In addition, they predicted that pharmacy practice will require changes to workflow flexibility, training expectations, the pharmacist’s role, and organizational structure.ConclusionThe COVID-19 pandemic has positively and negatively impacted the professional and personal lives of pharmacy learners and educators, with the most notable impacts being in the areas of well-being and adaptability. Future research should explore the experiences of other workforce personnel and evaluate the long-term impact on pharmacy practice, patient outcomes, and workforce well-being and resiliency.

Psychological Distress Among Women Healthcare Workers: A Health System's Experience Developing Emotional Support Services During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Ensuring the mental health and well-being of the healthcare workforce globally, especially women healthcare workers (HCWs), is an ongoing challenge that has been accentuated by the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Already at high risk of experiencing symptoms of stress, burnout, and depression, women HCWs are now also facing the psychosocial impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. Although different types of mental health interventions have been introduced to support HCW well-being, the current needs of women HCWs have not been emphasized and replicable processes for developing and implementing specific emotional support services for women HCWs have not yet been well-described in the literature. Therefore, in this perspective, we discuss the approach our institution (University of California, Los Angeles) took for developing emotional support services for women HCWs that incorporate aspects of disaster behavioral health models and address various barriers to support and treatment. In addition, we describe and illustrate the process that we utilized to develop individual-level and institutional-level emotional support services. Finally, based on our institution's experience, we share recommendations for developing emotional support services for women HCWs during the COVID-19 pandemic and other future crises.

Companies That Promote a Culture of Health, Safety, and Wellbeing Outperform in the Marketplace.

The objective of this research is to test the hypothesis that companies distinguished by their commitment to their workforce's health, safety, and well-being outperform in the marketplace. To test this, we analyzed the real-world stock market performance of an investment fund of publicly traded companies selected on evidence demonstrating their pursuit of a culture of health, safety, and well-being. This fund outperformed the market by 2% per year, with a weighted return on equity of 264% compared with the S&P 500 return of 243% over a 10-year period. Employers, fund managers, and fund investors would be well served by including strategies that assess a company's commitment to the health, safety, and well-being of their workforce when evaluating investments in their enterprise and portfolios.

Psychologists’ perspectives on the contribution of psychology to acute adult mental health inpatient, crisis response home treatment and mental health liaison services

Background There are significant pressures and quality issues in acute adult mental health services in the UK Aims To understand the contribution of psychologists in acute services to patient care and service quality. Methods Forty-nine psychologists with experience in Adult Mental Health Inpatient Services, Crisis Resolution Home Treatment Teams and Liaison Mental Health Services responded to a questionnaire-based survey. Results The first theme “Direct interventions” identified the value of psychological assessment, formulation and adapted brief interventions. The second theme “Indirect Interventions”, viewed psychology as an integral part of the Multi-Disciplinary Team, enabling psychologically informed care, increasing psychological skills in the workforce and supporting staff wellbeing. The third theme outlined a lack of psychological resources in services and limited understanding about their potential benefits. The potential of increased resources to promote psychologically informed cultures, staff wellbeing, and improve patient choice through greater access to psychological treatments was noted. Conclusions This is the largest UK study of psychologists within acute mental health care, identifying benefits for patients and services. Further research is needed on the impact of psychological interventions on patient outcomes and workforce wellbeing.

Exploring Various Leadership Styles to Use Among Nurses Towards Challenges Faced Within the 21st Century: A Systematic Review

The workforce for registered nurses (RNs) are currently facing unprecedented challenges. Current challenges such as the consequences associated with patient falls and healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) have placed a social and financial burden on the U.S. healthcare system. What’s more, future challenges such as the expected retirement for baby boomers and an expected shortage on the availability of medical physicians has raised many concerns for healthcare organizations on how they will deliver care in the years to come. The conclusion is that these challenges will significantly affect the well-being of the RN workforce. Hence, because of these challenges, the objective of this research was to explore various leadership styles to use among nurses towards challenges faced within the 21st century. By focusing on these challenges, the researcher provided findings around ethics and its impact on decision-making. Thereafter, the researcher highlighted common leadership styles that are used, and then proposed a new leadership theory, servant leadership, as an option for Chief Nursing Officers to use to help guide its nursing workforce going forward.

Primary drivers and psychological manifestations of stress in frontline healthcare workforce during the initial COVID-19 outbreak in the United States

ObjectiveThe purpose of this study was to understand the physical and psychological impact of high stress clinical environments and contributory factors of burnout in multidisciplinary healthcare workforce during the initial outbreak of COVID-19. MethodIn-person qualitative interviews informed by an adaptation of Karasek's Job Demand-control model were conducted with a convenience sample of healthcare workforce from March to April 2020. ResultsThemes emerging from interviews coalesced around three main areas: fear of uncertainty, physical and psychological manifestations of stress, and resilience building. Shifting information, a lack of PPE, and fear of infecting others prompted worry for those working with Covid-infected patients. Participants reported that stress manifested more psychologically than physically. Individualized stress mitigation efforts, social media and organizational transparency were reported by healthcare workers to be effective against rising stressors. ConclusionCOVID-19 has presented healthcare workforce with unprecedented challenges in their work environment. With attention to understanding stressors and supporting clinicians during healthcare emergencies, more research is necessary in order to effectively promote healthcare workforce well-being.

Campaign letter for RPS elections 2021: Farzana Haq on breaks and wellbeing

Improving wellbeing has been a personal issue that I’ve been passionate about the last few years. The importance of good mental health and wellbeing of the pharmacy workforce cannot be over-emphasised. Working in a pharmacy setting can be stressful owing to a number of pressures such as increased workload and staff shortages. The COVID-19 pandemic […]

Funding for health and social care workforce wellbeing increases to £8m for 2021/2022

The Scottish government has announced £8m in funding to support the wellbeing of health and social care staff; an increase of £3m allocated for the same purpose in 2020/2021. The government said the funding will “support staff wherever they work in the system, from acute hospital wards to community settings” and will also help pay […]

Sustaining Workforce Well-being: A Model for Supporting System Resilience During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Professional well-being in health care is critical to the success of academic medical centers inpatient care, educating trainees, serving communities, and pursuing research missions. The COVID-19 pandemic, caused by SARS-COV-2, has stretched health care teams and individuals in unique ways, leading to high levels of persistent stress with concern for longer term mental health implications. The pandemic is a catalyst to grow and strengthen support for those who work in health professions. Using one academic health center as a model, this paper reviews how professional well-being can be approached comprehensively at a system level while considering the needs of diverse employees during a time of increased need. This ramping up of services has the opportunity to build community and support a trajectory of post traumatic growth.

Back to Basics: Redefining Health and Well-being in Unprecedented Times

Human capital is undoubtedly one of the main engines of any successful business, and there is nothing more critical to the overall health of a business than ensuring health and safety of its people. Employers are uniquely positioned to improve health and safety through the workplace, yet many organisations struggle to decode the right formula for impactful initiatives and measuring success. It is particularly timely, as the ‘new normal’ of work has pushed workforce well-being up to the top of the priority list. Evidence supports that a healthy and safe workforce can provide a competitive business advantage by positively impacting productivity, business output, sustainability and corporate brand and reputation. The article shares insights into the evolving well-being risk, social profile and medical trends globally with country-specific highlights. We delve into the survey findings on employer and employee perspective of well-being and expectation on the solutions that can support in ensuring overall well-being.

Perceptions of Institutional Support for “Second Victims” Are Associated with Safety Culture and Workforce Well-Being

This study was performed to determine whether health care worker (HCW) assessments of good institutional support for second victims were associated with institutional safety culture and workforce well-being. HCWs' awareness of work colleagues emotionally traumatized by an unanticipated clinical event (second victims), their perceptions of level of institutional support for such colleagues, safety culture, and workforce well-being were assessed using a cross-sectional survey (SCORE [Safety, Communication, Operational Reliability, and Engagement] survey). Safety culture scores and workforce well-being scores were compared across work settings with high (top quartile) and low (bottom quartile) perceptions of second victim support. Of the 10,627 respondents (81.5% response rate), 36.3% knew at least one work colleague who had been traumatized by an unanticipated clinical event. Across 396 work settings, the percentage of respondents agreeing (slightly or strongly) that second victims receive appropriate support ranged from 0% to 100%. Across all respondents, significant correlations between perceived support for second victims and all SCORE domains (Improvement Readiness, Local Leadership, Teamwork Climate, Safety Climate, Emotional Exhaustion, Burnout Climate, and Work-Life Balance) were found. The 24.9% of respondents who knew an actual second victim and reported inadequate institutional support were significantly more negative in their assessments of safety culture and well-being than the 42.2% who reported adequate institutional support. Perceived institutional support for second victims was associated with a better safety culture and lower emotional exhaustion. Investment in programs to support second victims may improve overall safety culture and HCW well-being.

Self-medication practice with analgesics (NSAIDs and acetaminophen), and antibiotics among nursing undergraduates in University College Farasan Campus, Jazan University, KSA

Self-medication practices are widely practiced globally as major form of self-care for pain management. Unfortunately, with COVID-19 pandemic, prescription only drugs are now increasingly being self-prescribed. Present study was therefore, conducted to generate data on self-medication practice with analgesics using non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and acetaminophen, and the antibiotics among nursing students of University College Farasan Campus. A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted among 177 study participants (20±3 years) between December 2019 to February 2020 using questionnaire. Data analyses were done using origin software (6.1, Illinois, USA). Significance was considered at P<0.05. Study was conducted in Department of Nursing, University College Farasan Province, a premier educational institute of Farasan Island affiliated to Jazan university, KSA. Self-medication practices were high among nursing students (n=154 participants, 87%). Acetaminophen was highest used drug for analgesic purposes without prescriptions (n=101 participants, 57%). Among NSAIDs, Ibuprofen was most preferred for various analgesic purposes (n=35 participants, 20%) followed by diclofenac (n=9 participants, 5%) and meloxicam (n=5 participants, 3%). Azithromycine was the only antibiotic used by participants (n=4 participant, 2%). Most common causes of self-medication were headache (45%), menstrual pain (23%) and fever (14%). Main reason for self-medications was lack of time to consult doctor (68%). Furthermore, self-medication was significantly associated with study year (P<0.003). Results give rise to concern for general well-being of future nursing workforce. There is need to implement educational actions and awareness programmes to limit self-medication practices among educated youth of this beautiful Island.

A survey of psychological practitioner workplace well-being.

The well-being of the psychological workforce is an area of concern. However, it has been sparsely studied in a holistic manner encompassing workplace well-being as well as burnout. This study reports a survey of 1,678 psychological practitioners accessed through professional networks. The short Warwick Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale (SWEMWBS) and the Psychological Practitioner Workplace Well-being Measure (PPWWM) were administered with a demographic questionnaire. The mean for the SWEMWBS was below that of a national population survey. The intercorrelation of these tests was .61. Subgroup analyses showed significant differences: assistant psychologists, counsellors and psychological well-being practitioners demonstrated better than average workplace well-being. But for general well-being (SWEMWBS), trainee clinical psychologists and assistant psychologists showed lower than average well-being, whereas psychological well-being practitioners were higher than average. Other factors associated with well-being were contract type-both measures (higher workplace well-being in those with temporary contracts and the self-employed); employment sector-for PPWWM only (private organisation/independent workers and third sector/charitable organisation workers scored above the PPWWM mean); ethnicity-for both measures (Asian groups except Chinese had higher well-being than average for the PPWWM and SWEMWBS) and disability was strongly associated with lower well-being on both measures. Harassment, feeling depressed or a failure and wanting to leave the National Health Service (NHS) were associated with lower well-being. Greater age, pay and years of service were negatively correlated with well-being. A five-factor structure was obtained with this sample. The results confirmed psychological practitioners as an at-risk group and identified a number of factors associated with workplace well-being.

Hospital Workforce Engagement and Inpatient Mortality Rate: Findings from the English National Health Service Staff Surveys.

Healthcare workforce engagement may represent a proactive approach against provider burnout, a widely prevalent condition that is associated with poor patient outcomes. We examine whether workforce engagement is associated with better hospital performance, measured as lower inpatient mortality, in English National Health Services (NHS) acute Trusts. Panel study using cross-lagged regression, applying an optimally time-lagged value of the dependent variable as covariate to account for unmeasured Trust characteristics. NHS acute Trusts and respondents to the NHS Staff Surveys, 2012-2018. We measured engagement using three survey questions corresponding to validated engagement factors, and hospital performance using the Summary Hospital-level Mortality Indicator (SHMI). In the first analyses, associations of SHMI (dependent variable) with workforce engagement in the current, prior, and subsequent years were studied to find the optimum lag period for lagged regression analysis. In the subsequent cross-lagged regression analysis, bi-directional associations between SHMI and engagement were studied. Heterogeneity in engagement components across Trusts was studied in detail for the year 2017. In the first analyses, current SHMI was negatively associated with engagement in the current year (ß = - 0.044; p = 0.035) more than with the prior year (ß = - 0.037; p = 0.049). In the second analysis, (a) engagement predicted same-year SHMI after controlling for prior-year SHMI (ß = - 0.044; p = 0.035). A 1-unit higher engagement score was associated with 4.4% lower SHMI. (b) SHMI predicted engagement in the same year (ß = - 0.066; p = 0.001) after controlling for prior-year engagement. More in-depth analysis showed high inter-trust heterogeneity on all three engagement factors (I2 > 85%). Higher workforce engagement predicts lower mortality which in turn predicts engagement. Heterogeneity in workforce well-being suggests an opportunity to foster mutual learning across Trusts.

The Professional Is the Personal: A Qualitative Exploration of Self-Care Practices in Clinical Infant Mental Health Practitioners

Infant mental health (IMH) as an interdisciplinary field relies on relationships to heal past trauma and promote secure parent-infant attachment. Stress related to performing IMH work has gained more attention in workforce development/well-being literature. Yet, IMH workforce engagement in self-care practices to manage work stress is left unexplored. This qualitative investigation examines a purposive sample (N = 21) of clinical IMH practitioners in two U.S. states to answer the following research questions: a) What self-care practices do clinical IMH practitioners perform? b) Do clinical IMH practitioners rely on reflective supervision as a professional self-care practice? Data include: a) open-ended interviews with clinical IMH practitioners and b) an inventory measuring burnout. Results indicate that on average, the sample reported moderate to high levels of burnout. Yet the majority of the sample engaged in personal and professional self-care practices to manage work-related stress. Saturation of themes: a) heavy reliance on individual coping, b) reflective supervision is insufficient on its own, c) organizational supports may facilitate engagement in self-care and d) competing care demands impede self-care; suggests that individual engagement in self-care outside of work, may not sufficiently manage work-related stress in this group of social service professionals. Highlighted themes offer an ecological framework for considering the interplay between individuals and organizations in promoting IMH workforce well-being. Recommendations for systematic investigation of the role individuals and organizations play in promoting self-care practice and well-being in the broader IMH workforce, employing quantitative methods of inquiry are discussed.

The Role of Professional Advocate in Endoscopy: The A-Equip Model

In endoscopy, quality improvement (QI) is paramount and integral to Joint Advisory Group (JAG) accreditation. The challenge is to keep staff engaged and enthused in the face of factors that influence their emotions and behaviour. This was demonstrated in the author's endoscopy recovery units being used to cope with an inpatient surge for 14 months, which increased stress, sickness and turnover and lowered compliance with clinical audits. The professional advocate (PA) was tasked with addressing this and established that the QI systems in place were inadequate without investment in the team's human and social capital. The PA acted according to the Advocating and Educating for Quality Improvement (A-EQUIP) model to create a positive environment and support continuous improvement using various wellbeing tools and techniques. Restorative clinical supervision, human factors training and concepts from neurological and social sciences were employed to increase self-awareness, improve attitudes and build resilience in the workforce. These techniques have received positive feedback and become integral to the service. Endoscopy services should prioritise investment in workforce education and wellbeing and adopt the role of PA, which should be considered as part of JAG workforce standards.

How Will the Future of Work Shape the OSH Professional of the Future? A Workshop Summary.

Rapid and profound changes anticipated in the future of work will have significant implications for the education and training of occupational safety and health (OSH) professionals and the workforce. As the nature of the workplace, work, and the workforce change, the OSH field must expand its focus to include existing and new hazards (some yet unknown), consider how to protect the health and well-being of a diverse workforce, and understand and mitigate the safety implications of new work arrangements. Preparing for these changes is critical to developing proactive systems that can protect workers, prevent injury and illness, and promote worker well-being. An in-person workshop held on February 3–4, 2020 at The University of Texas Health Science Center (UTHealth) School of Public Health in Houston, Texas, USA, examined some of the challenges and opportunities OSH education will face in both academic and industry settings. The onslaught of the COVID-19 global pandemic reached the United States one month after this workshop and greatly accelerated the pace of change. This article summarizes presentations from national experts and thought leaders across the spectrum of OSH and professionals in the fields of strategic foresight, systems thinking, and industry, and provides recommendations for the field.