Mobile apps for health professionals experiencing stress and burnout: scoping review (Preprint)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rehona Zamani ◽  
Abi Sriharan ◽  
Amar Aziz
Keyword(s):  
Scoping Review ◽  
Mobile Apps ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Community Support ◽  
Stress Relief ◽  
External Support ◽  
Mental Health Crisis ◽  
Specific Content ◽  
Health Crisis ◽  
Mental Wellness

BACKGROUND The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated the mental health crisis within the health workforce. There is evidence that mobile apps that promote psychosocial wellness may be an effective, low-cost, and widely accessible tool to reduce stress and burnout among HCPs. OBJECTIVE The objective of this scoping review is to explore whether there are mobile-based apps tailored to HCPs for stress and burnout relief during a crisis time and explore their characteristics and key features. METHODS The Google Play and Apple app stores were searched for wellness apps using the key words “relaxation” and “mental wellness”. The first 100 search results were assessed for eligibility. This was supplemented by an online search for burnout and stress relief apps for physicians and/or nurses. The apps were included if they focused on burnout and/or stress relief and demonstrated relevance to HCPs. More specifically, the app must be marketed to HCPs, recommended by health professional organizations, or was studied for efficacy among HCPs. The details of included apps were extracted on Microsoft Excel. RESULTS Most burnout and/or stress relief apps are targeted to the general population. Few apps (n=8) were specifically built for HCPs, but the pandemic crisis has encouraged existing apps to create specific content for this group (n=7). The features within apps relevant to HCPs were largely mindfulness/meditation (n=19) and wellness education (n=12), whereas community support (n=9) and access to psychological services (n=4) were less common. CONCLUSIONS Stress and burnout are widespread and severe among HCPs during the COVID-19 crisis. Mobile apps may be a feasible tool to offer wellness interventions, but most existing apps do not provide targeted content for HCPs. For those that do, they largely focus on individual-based activities, rather than external support.

scholarly journals Models of Mental Health Triage for Individuals Coming to the Attention of the Police Who May Be Experiencing Mental Health Crisis: A Scoping Review

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alice Park ◽  
Alison Booth ◽  
Adwoa J Parker ◽  
Arabella Scantlebury ◽  
Kath Wright ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Information Sharing ◽  
Scoping Review ◽  
Mental Distress ◽  
Mental Health Crisis ◽  
Personnel Training ◽  
Health Crisis ◽  
The Cost ◽  
Do So

Abstract Police routinely encounter individuals experiencing mental distress, despite being ill-equipped to do so. Mental health triage aims to address these concerns. A range of approaches to triage has been introduced; however, no overview exists. We conducted a systematic scoping review of mental health triage co-responding schemes. Eleven databases were searched to identify the literature; each scheme was charted and described. Thirty-three studies describing 47 schemes were included. Intervention details were generally poorly reported, however, differences in personnel, training and information sharing were identified. There are multiple schemes in practice based on the co-responding model. Robust research into the cost and effectiveness of mental health triage is needed.

scholarly journals Can Mental Health Apps Be Effective for Depression, Anxiety, and Stress During a Pandemic?

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert L. Longyear ◽  
Kostadin Kushlev
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Randomized Clinical Trials ◽  
Global Mental Health ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Economic Recession ◽  
Mental Health Crisis ◽  
Health Crisis ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Health Apps

Covid-19 is poised to exacerbate the global mental health crisis as social isolation, unemployment, and economic recession are risk factors for negative mental health consequences. Since the need for social distancing can make face-to-face services less accessible, people may turn to mental health apps as an accessible and inexpensive solution. But are the claims about the efficacy of these apps supported by evidence? We identified 19 published articles on PubMed of peer-reviewed randomized clinical trials of mental health apps focused on stress, anxiety, and depression. Despite some evidence for the effectiveness of mental health apps, it remains unclear how effective these apps are compared to standard of care. Populations studied so far also lack diversity, making it difficult to generalize any benefits to racial minorities and low-income individuals—the very people who have been most negatively impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic and traditionally have higher barriers to mental health services. While apps are not a substitute for face-to-face therapy, further evidence is warranted given their potential for delivering scalable, low-cost care to patients. We call for regulatory oversight as a means to ensure mental health apps demonstrate safety and effectiveness prior to marketing.

scholarly journals Low Cost Community Health Interventions to Address the Mental Health Crisis Arising From Greece’s Financial Austerity Measures

2014 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 28-31
Author(s):  
Eleni Styliani Ramphos ◽  
Raywat Deonandan
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Health Professionals ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Work Force ◽  
Health Interventions ◽  
Social Spending ◽  
Mental Health Crisis ◽  
Community Based ◽  
Health Crisis ◽  
Community Based Programs

In response to the European financial crisis of 2008-2009, Greece reduced funding for social spending as part of its austerity program, which may have reversed past progress in Greece’s mental health system. Significant increases in depression and suicide rates coincided with the start of the crisis. A slower economic recovery may result from the combination of a less productive work force and out-migration of mental health professionals. In order to alleviate the detrimental effects of this crisis, mental health crisis training, as well as low cost community-based programs should be prioritized in Greece. 

scholarly journals Assessment tools of immediate risk of self-harm and suicide in children and young people: A scoping review

2018 ◽  
Vol 23 (2) ◽  
pp. 178-199
Author(s):  
Tim Carter ◽  
Gemma M Walker ◽  
Aimee Aubeeluck ◽  
Joseph C Manning
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Health Professionals ◽  
Scoping Review ◽  
Emotional Health ◽  
Assessment Tools ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Initial Assessment ◽  
Mental Health Crisis ◽  
Health Crisis ◽  
Self Harm

There are increasing numbers of children presenting to paediatric hospital settings in mental health crisis. Typically, non-mental health professionals are responsible for the initial assessment of these children and are required to identify immediate physical and emotional health needs. To ensure the safety of these children, immediate risk of suicide and self-harm should be assessed. However, no standardized assessment tool is used in clinical practice, and for those tools that are used, their validity and reliability is unclear. A scoping review was conducted to identify the existing assessment tools of immediate self-harm and suicide risk. Searches of electronic databases and relevant reference lists were undertaken. Twenty-two tools were identified and most assessed acute risk of suicide with only four tools incorporating a self-harm assessment. The tools varied in number of items (4–146), subscales (0–11) and total scores (16–192). Half incorporated Likert-type scales, and most were completed via self-report. Many tools were subject to limited psychometric testing, and no single tool was valid or reliable for use with children presenting in mental health crisis to non-mental health settings. As such, a clinically appropriate, valid and reliable tool that assesses immediate risk of self-harm and suicide in paediatric settings should be developed.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document