scholarly journals A Web-Delivered Acceptance and Commitment Therapy Intervention With Email Reminders to Enhance Subjective Well-Being and Encourage Engagement With Lifestyle Behavior Change in Health Care Staff: Randomized Cluster Feasibility Stud

10.2196/18586 ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (8) ◽  
pp. e18586
Author(s):  
Menna Brown ◽  
Nic Hooper ◽  
Phillip James ◽  
Darren Scott ◽  
Owen Bodger ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Behavior Change ◽  
Controlled Trial ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Care Staff ◽  
Health Care Staff ◽  
Subjective Well Being ◽  
Web Based ◽  
Lifestyle Behavior ◽  
Acceptance And Commitment

Background Poor mental health and emotional well-being can negatively impact ability to engage in healthy lifestyle behavior change. Health care staff have higher rates of sickness and absence than other public sector staff, which has implications at both individual and societal levels. Individual efforts to self-manage health and well-being which add to the UK mental health prevention agenda need to be supported. Objective The objective of this study was to establish the feasibility and acceptability of the inclusion of a self-guided, automated, web-based acceptance and commitment therapy intervention in an existing health promotion program, to improve subjective well-being and encourage engagement with lifestyle behavior change. Methods For this 12-week, 4-armed, randomized controlled cluster feasibility study, we recruited participants offline and randomly allocated them to 1 of 3 intervention arms or control (no well-being intervention) using an automated web-based allocation procedure. Eligibility criteria were current health care staff in 1 Welsh health board, age≥18 years, ability to read English, and ability to provide consent. The primary researcher was blinded to cluster allocation. Feasibility outcomes were randomization procedure, acceptance of intervention, and adherence to and engagement with the wider program. We evaluated health and well-being data via self-assessment at 2 time points, registration and postintervention, using the 14-item Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-Being Scale, the 4-item Patient Health Questionnaire, and the 7-item Acceptance and Action Questionnaire—Revised. Results Of 124 participants who provided consent and were randomly allocated, 103 completed full registration and engaged with the program. Most participants (76/103) enrolled in at least one health behavior change module, and 43% (41/96) of those randomly allocated to an intervention arm enrolled in the well-being module. Adherence and engagement was low (7/103, 6.8%), but qualitative feedback was positive. Conclusions The procedure and randomization process proved feasible, and the addition of the well-being module proved acceptable to health care staff. However, participant engagement was limited, and no one completed the full 12-week program. User feedback should be used to develop the intervention to address poor engagement. Effectiveness should then be evaluated in a full-scale randomized controlled trial, which would be feasible with additional recruitment. Trial Registration International Standard Randomised Controlled Trial Number (ISRCTN) 50074817; http://www.isrctn.com/ISRCTN50074817

scholarly journals A Web-Delivered Acceptance and Commitment Therapy Intervention With Email Reminders to Enhance Subjective Well-Being and Encourage Engagement With Lifestyle Behavior Change in Health Care Staff: Randomized Cluster Feasibility Stud (Preprint)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Menna Brown ◽  
Nic Hooper ◽  
Phillip James ◽  
Darren Scott ◽  
Owen Bodger ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Behavior Change ◽  
Controlled Trial ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Care Staff ◽  
Health Care Staff ◽  
Subjective Well Being ◽  
Web Based ◽  
Lifestyle Behavior ◽  
Acceptance And Commitment

BACKGROUND Poor mental health and emotional well-being can negatively impact ability to engage in healthy lifestyle behavior change. Health care staff have higher rates of sickness and absence than other public sector staff, which has implications at both individual and societal levels. Individual efforts to self-manage health and well-being which add to the UK mental health prevention agenda need to be supported. OBJECTIVE The objective of this study was to establish the feasibility and acceptability of the inclusion of a self-guided, automated, web-based acceptance and commitment therapy intervention in an existing health promotion program, to improve subjective well-being and encourage engagement with lifestyle behavior change. METHODS For this 12-week, 4-armed, randomized controlled cluster feasibility study, we recruited participants offline and randomly allocated them to 1 of 3 intervention arms or control (no well-being intervention) using an automated web-based allocation procedure. Eligibility criteria were current health care staff in 1 Welsh health board, age≥18 years, ability to read English, and ability to provide consent. The primary researcher was blinded to cluster allocation. Feasibility outcomes were randomization procedure, acceptance of intervention, and adherence to and engagement with the wider program. We evaluated health and well-being data via self-assessment at 2 time points, registration and postintervention, using the 14-item Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-Being Scale, the 4-item Patient Health Questionnaire, and the 7-item Acceptance and Action Questionnaire—Revised. RESULTS Of 124 participants who provided consent and were randomly allocated, 103 completed full registration and engaged with the program. Most participants (76/103) enrolled in at least one health behavior change module, and 43% (41/96) of those randomly allocated to an intervention arm enrolled in the well-being module. Adherence and engagement was low (7/103, 6.8%), but qualitative feedback was positive. CONCLUSIONS The procedure and randomization process proved feasible, and the addition of the well-being module proved acceptable to health care staff. However, participant engagement was limited, and no one completed the full 12-week program. User feedback should be used to develop the intervention to address poor engagement. Effectiveness should then be evaluated in a full-scale randomized controlled trial, which would be feasible with additional recruitment. CLINICALTRIAL International Standard Randomised Controlled Trial Number (ISRCTN) 50074817; http://www.isrctn.com/ISRCTN50074817

scholarly journals Development of a Web-Based Acceptance and Commitment Therapy Intervention to Support Lifestyle Behavior Change and Well-Being in Health Care Staff: Participatory Design Study

10.2196/22507 ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (11) ◽  
pp. e22507
Author(s):  
Menna Brown ◽  
Nic Hooper ◽  
Parisa Eslambolchilar ◽  
Ann John
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Design Process ◽  
Acceptance And Commitment Therapy ◽  
Participatory Design ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Care Staff ◽  
Health Care Staff ◽  
Web Based ◽  
Acceptance And Commitment

Background Positive emotional well-being is associated with healthier lifestyle choices and overall health function, whereas poor mental health is associated with significant economic and psychological costs. Thus, the development of effective interventions that improve emotional well-being is crucial to address the worldwide burden of disease. Objective This study aims to develop a web-based emotional well-being intervention for use by health care staff using participatory design to consider adherence and engagement from a user perspective. Methods A 3-staged iterative participatory design process was followed, including multiple stakeholders: researchers, computer scientists, mental health experts, and health care staff. Stage 1 used document analyses, direct observation, and welcome interviews; stage 2 used focus group discussions, rapid prototyping, and usability tasks; and stage 3 evaluated a high-fidelity prototype. Results Different health care staff (N=38) participated during a sustained period. A structured, sequential, automated, 12-week, web-based emotional well-being intervention based on acceptance and commitment therapy was developed. Freely navigated psychoeducational resources were also included. Conclusions The iterative and collaborative participatory design process successfully met its objectives. It generated an in-depth understanding of well-being within the workplace and identified barriers to access. The 3-staged process ensured that participants had the opportunity to explore and articulate criteria relevant to their roles over time and reflect on decisions made at each stage.

scholarly journals Development of a Web-Based Acceptance and Commitment Therapy Intervention to Support Lifestyle Behavior Change and Well-Being in Health Care Staff: Participatory Design Study (Preprint)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Menna Brown ◽  
Nic Hooper ◽  
Parisa Eslambolchilar ◽  
Ann John
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Design Process ◽  
Acceptance And Commitment Therapy ◽  
Participatory Design ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Care Staff ◽  
Health Care Staff ◽  
Web Based ◽  
Acceptance And Commitment

BACKGROUND Positive emotional well-being is associated with healthier lifestyle choices and overall health function, whereas poor mental health is associated with significant economic and psychological costs. Thus, the development of effective interventions that improve emotional well-being is crucial to address the worldwide burden of disease. OBJECTIVE This study aims to develop a web-based emotional well-being intervention for use by health care staff using participatory design to consider adherence and engagement from a user perspective. METHODS A 3-staged iterative participatory design process was followed, including multiple stakeholders: researchers, computer scientists, mental health experts, and health care staff. Stage 1 used document analyses, direct observation, and welcome interviews; stage 2 used focus group discussions, rapid prototyping, and usability tasks; and stage 3 evaluated a high-fidelity prototype. RESULTS Different health care staff (N=38) participated during a sustained period. A structured, sequential, automated, 12-week, web-based emotional well-being intervention based on acceptance and commitment therapy was developed. Freely navigated psychoeducational resources were also included. CONCLUSIONS The iterative and collaborative participatory design process successfully met its objectives. It generated an in-depth understanding of well-being within the workplace and identified barriers to access. The 3-staged process ensured that participants had the opportunity to explore and articulate criteria relevant to their roles over time and reflect on decisions made at each stage.

Workplace Stress and Employee Wellbeing: Case of Health Care Staff in UAE

2017 ◽  
Vol 13 (5) ◽  
pp. 217 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nasreen Khan ◽  
Sofia Khurshid
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Organizational Support ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
High Stress ◽  
Poor Performance ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Workplace Stress ◽  
Care Staff ◽  
Health Care Staff ◽  
The Impact

Workplace stress is a world-wide concern and has been a subject of researchers, academicians, authorities and decision makers’ interest. It has evidently been considered to be causing poor performance, reduced employee morale, lack of autonomy, job insecurity and to greater extent the employee's wellbeing. Employees in healthcare and hospitality sector work in 24*7 work schedule due to the demanding nature of the industry. Empirical evidences have indicated that employee experience high stress on account of work overload and long working hours taking a toll on their mental and physical well-being. The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of workplace stress on employee well-being among staff employees in the health care sector and hospitals in UAE. A total of 150 employees working at staff level in health care centers and hospitals in UAE were surveyed. The results showed that workplace has negative impact on employee well-being and the impact was found to be weak. The findings of the study suggest that an increase in workplace stresses will reduce wellbeing of employees. The researchers recommend that in order to reduce the impact of stress on employee well-being organizational support, family support and social support is essential.

scholarly journals Clowning in health care settings: The point of view of adults

2016 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 473-488 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alberto Dionigi ◽  
Carla Canestrari
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Positive Emotions ◽  
Emotional Reactivity ◽  
Psychological Symptoms ◽  
Empirical Studies ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Care Staff ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Health Care Staff ◽  
Pilot Studies

Within the past decade, there has been a surge of interest in investigating the effects of clown intervention in a large variety of clinical settings. Many studies have focused on the effects of clown intervention on children. However, few studies have investigated clowning effects on adults. This paper presents an overview of the concept of medical clowning followed by a literature review conducted on the empirical studies drawn from three data bases (PubMed, PsycINFO, and Google Scholar), with the aim of mapping and discussing the evidence of clowning effects on non-children, namely adults. The following areas were investigated: Adult and elderly patients (mainly those with dementia), observers of clowning, namely non-hospitalized adults who are at the hospital as relatives of patients or health-care staff, and finally clowns themselves. The main results are that 1) clown intervention induces positive emotions, thereby enhancing the patient’s well-being, reduces psychological symptoms and emotional reactivity, and prompts a decrease in negative emotions, such as anxiety and stress; 2) clown doctors are also well-perceived by relatives and healthcare staff and their presence appears to be useful in creating a lighter atmosphere in the health setting; 3) few pilot studies have been conducted on clown doctors and this lacuna represents a subject for future research.

Medical Students’ Commitment during the SARS-CoV-2 Pandemic: Preparedness, Motivation, and Impact on Students’ Skills

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lukas Müller ◽  
Markus Heymanns ◽  
Laura Harder ◽  
Julia Winter ◽  
Stephan Gehring ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Medical Students ◽  
Medical School ◽  
Medical Curriculum ◽  
Medical Center ◽  
Care Staff ◽  
Health Care Staff ◽  
Web Based ◽  
The University ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Background: During the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, many authors have suggested a commitment of medical students to support overworked health care staff. However, whether the students are prepared for such an occupation remains unclear. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate medical students’ preparedness for a commitment in the pandemic and to assess the impact on their skills and attitudes.Methods: In April 2020, the CoronaPreventMainz (CPM) study was initiated to test 3300 employees with direct patient contact at the University Medical Center Mainz. To accomplish the huge logistic effort, medical students were recruited as support staff.Using a web-based questionnaire, the participating students were asked 27 questions covering six different topics.Results: Of the 75 recruited students, 63 (84.0%) participated in this survey. The median age was 24 years, and 66.6% (n = 42) were female. The vast majority agreed that students should be used as voluntary helpers during this crisis (87.3%) and had the feeling of contributing in the fight against the pandemic (90.5%). Most of the students (80.6%) even reported an improvement in their practical skills. Fear of self-infection was low (7.9%), and overextending situations occurred for just 3.2%. However, less than one-fifth (19.4%) of the students felt prepared for the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic by medical school, and two-thirds (67.7%) demanded special preparation. Conclusion: Through their commitment, the medical students felt that they were taking part in the fight against the pandemic. However, only a few felt well-prepared by medical school and the students’ need for special preparation courses is huge. Therefore, single-center initiatives can only be the beginning. Dedicated courses on how to support health care staff in natural disasters should be integrated into the medical curriculum to better prepare medical students for the next crisis.

Empowerment, environment and person-centred care: A qualitative study exploring the hospital experience for adults with cognitive impairment

Dementia ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 18 (7-8) ◽  
pp. 2710-2730 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura Prato ◽  
Lyndsay Lindley ◽  
Miriam Boyles ◽  
Louise Robinson ◽  
Clare Abley
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Cognitive Impairment ◽  
Hospital Care ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Care Staff ◽  
Health Care Staff ◽  
Ward Staff ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Case Study Methodology ◽  
Hospital Experience

It is acknowledged that there are many challenges to ensuring a positive hospital experience for patients with cognitive impairment. The study (‘Improving hospital care for adults with cognitive impairment’) aimed to explore the positive and negative experiences of older adults with cognitive impairment (dementia and delirium) and their relatives and/or carers, during an acute hospital stay, from admission to discharge, using a qualitative, case study methodology. Six participants with cognitive impairment, eight relatives and 59 members of the health care team were recruited. Data was collected via ethnographic, observational periods at each stage of the hospital journey and through the use of semi-structured interviews with relatives, carers and health care staff including: medical staff; nursing staff; physiotherapists and ward managers. Interpretive phenomenological analysis was used to facilitate data analysis. 52 hours 55 minutes of ethnographic observations and 18 interviews with ward staff and relatives were undertaken. Three superordinate themes emerged from the data as crucial in determining the quality of the hospital experience: valuing the person; activities of empowerment and disempowerment and the interaction of environment with patient well-being. Whether the patient’s hospital experience was positive or negative was powerfully influenced by family involvement and ward staff actions and communication. Participants identified a requirement for a ward based activity service for patients with cognitive impairment. Further research must be undertaken focusing on the development of ward based activities for patients with cognitive impairment, alongside a move towards care which explores measures to improve and expand relative involvement in hospital care.

scholarly journals Simplified Strategies for COVID-19 Surge Management in Critical Care in Resource-Limited Areas – An Aide-Mémoire

2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mehraj Ud Din ◽  
Prashant Hegde
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Critical Care ◽  
Disaster Response ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Health Care Facilities ◽  
Response Strategy ◽  
Care Staff ◽  
Organ Support ◽  
Health Care Staff ◽  
Hospital Institution

Purpose of this document Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is an infectious disease caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) coronavirus 2. We are facing an unprecedented situation globally because of the COVID-19 pandemic where extraordinary measures are needed continually on war footing. The goal being to save maximum lives while protecting health care staff. A competent emergency response system must incorporate necessary resources, relevant knowledge, attitudes and skills. Ring-fencing by clustering patients, experts and pooling of resources will go a long way in containing the pandemic locally. While detailed disaster response policies and guidelines are available from different societies and national bodies, this concise paper presents an aide-mémoire in a simplistic manner, since clarity of thought is key to effective preparation and sustained response. [1-5] Based on a review of various guidelines and literature search, key considerations are presented in a concise format to facilitate chalking out a suitable response strategy locally. [6-10] The following five key areas should be considered in the hospital/institution while planning for increasing Critical Care capacity to cope with anticipated COVID-19 surge. 1. Structure 2. Staffing 3. Space 4. Supplies and equipment 5. Sustainability and Staff Well being Structure (Management & Chain of Command) Anticipate: • There is going to be a sudden peak and surge in COVID-19 patients with many requiring Intensive Care Unit (ICU) admission requiring organ support particularly m e c h a n i c a l v e n t i l a t i o n w h i c h w i l l overwhelm existing health care facilities. Blueprint: • Establish a central/regional ICU COVID- 19 coordination center with dedicated and expert man power, which will guide and monitor all the ICU admissions and resource allocation in the entire region while maintaining continual contact with networking hospitals. • Lay down and circulate policies and guidelines

scholarly journals Quality of life, acceptance, and chronic pain - A treatment study

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Magnus Johansson
Keyword(s):  
Chronic Pain ◽  
Statistical Power ◽  
Controlled Trial ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Outcome Data ◽  
Care Utilization ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Subjective Well Being ◽  
Acceptance And Commitment ◽  
Positive Treatment

Recent data on treatment of chronic pain indicates that acceptance of pain is an important treatment target, highly correlated with outcomes in pain-anxiety, depression and disability. This study is a randomized controlled trial investigating the effects of a brief psychotherapy intervention, based on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), compared to a passive and an active control group (N=90). The treatment begun and ended with an individual session and had two group sessions in between. Outcome data at 3-month follow-up (N=56) showed no significant differences between the groups with regard to acceptance of pain, subjective well-being and health care utilization. Attrition caused impaired statistical power, but effect sizes indicate positive treatment effects. Regression analysis shows that acceptance of pain is able to predict subjective well-being, supporting earlier findings.

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