scholarly journals Developing Grit, Motivation, and Resilience: To Give Up on Giving In

Pharmacy ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 109
Author(s):  
Karen M. Whitfield ◽  
Kyle John Wilby
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Health Care Workers ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Global Pandemic ◽  
Care Workers ◽  
Pharmacy Workforce ◽  
Care Field ◽  
Resilience Framework ◽  
Mental Well Being ◽  
Emotional Balance

Developing grit, motivation, and resilience within the pharmacy workforce has become a topic of increasing interest, heightened by the recent COVID-19 pandemic. Even prior to the global pandemic, the health care field has been associated with a rapidly changing, challenging, and pressured work environment that can often lead to stress and burnout. Developing resilience in health care workers has been identified as a strategy to combat burnout by improving their ability to thrive in stressful situations, thus enhancing physical and mental well-being. In this commentary, we consider the use of a resilience framework that encompasses the overlapping attributes of emotional balance and physical and mental strength to develop resilience. The importance of finding purpose and meaning is also explored within the framework, as well as the association between grit, motivation, autonomy, mastery, and connection. Practical strategies and reflections are outlined to challenge, inspire, and motivate the development of grit and resilience, in order to combat the challenges faced by pharmacists in a constantly changing health care system.

scholarly journals COVID-19 is having a destructive impact on health-care workers’ mental well-being

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kris Vanhaecht ◽  
Deborah Seys ◽  
Luk Bruyneel ◽  
Bianca Cox ◽  
Gorik Kaesemans ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Residential Care ◽  
Health Care Workers ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Mental Health Symptoms ◽  
Health Symptoms ◽  
Care Workers ◽  
Sources Of Support ◽  
Mental Well Being

Abstract Background The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) may aggravate workplace conditions that impact health-care workers’ mental health. However, it can also place other stresses on workers outside of their work. This study determines the effect of COVID-19 on symptoms of negative and positive mental health and the workforce’s experience with various sources of support. Effect modification by demographic variables was also studied. Methods A cross-sectional survey study, conducted between 2 April and 4 May 2020 (two waves), led to a convenience sample of 4509 health-care workers in Flanders (Belgium), including paramedics (40.6%), nurses (33.4%), doctors (13.4%) and management staff (12.2%). About three in four were employed in university and acute hospitals (29.6%), primary care practices (25.7%), residential care centers (21.3%) or care sites for disabled and mental health care. In each of the two waves, participants were asked how frequently (on a scale of 0–10) they experienced positive and negative mental health symptoms during normal circumstances and during last week, referred to as before and during COVID-19, respectively. These symptoms were stress, hypervigilance, fatigue, difficulty sleeping, unable to relax, fear, irregular lifestyle, flashback, difficulty concentrating, feeling unhappy and dejected, failing to recognize their own emotional response, doubting knowledge and skills and feeling uncomfortable within the team. Associations between COVID-19 and mental health symptoms were estimated by cumulative logit models and reported as odds ratios. The needed support was our secondary outcome and was reported as the degree to which health-care workers relied on sources of support and how they experienced them. Results All symptoms were significantly more pronounced during versus before COVID-19. For hypervigilance, there was a 12-fold odds (odds ratio 12.24, 95% confidence interval 11.11–13.49) during versus before COVID-19. Positive professional symptoms such as the feeling that one can make a difference were less frequently experienced. The association between COVID-19 and mental health was generally strongest for the age group 30–49 years, females, nurses and residential care centers. Health-care workers reported to rely on support from relatives and peers. A considerable proportion, respectively, 18 and 27%, reported the need for professional guidance from psychologists and more support from their leadership. Conclusions The toll of the crisis has been heavy on health-care workers. Those who carry leadership positions at an organizational or system level should take this opportunity to develop targeted strategies to mitigate key stressors of health-care workers’ mental well-being.

scholarly journals The Impact of Covid- 19 Pandemic on Mental Well-Being of Health Care Workers: A Multicenter Study

2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (4) ◽  
pp. 1297-1306
Author(s):  
Nabila Hassan ◽  
Hina Akmal Memon ◽  
Noreen Hassan ◽  
Shobha Luxmi ◽  
Farhat Sultana
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Health Care Workers ◽  
Healthcare Providers ◽  
Negative Relationship ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Mental Wellbeing ◽  
Care Workers ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Mental Well Being

The study determines the effect of fear of being infected on anxiety and influence of anxiety on the disturbance of their mental well-being and to analyze the indirect effect of anxiety between fear of being infected and mental well-being. Cross-Sectional study carried out in the months of November –December 2020, by conducting a survey from health care workers (Doctors, Nurses and Trainees) covering hospitals from the region of Hyderabad, Jamshoro and Karachi. Analysis of the data done using two-step method of Structural Equation Model (SEM) approach. The findings of the study supported the positive and negative relationship fear of being infected to anxiety and anxiety to mental wellbeing respectively. In addition, the indirect relationship of anxiety also supported. Numerous unanswered queries pertinent to COVID-19 pandemic, and dubious situation leads towards huge size of disturbance in the lives of health care workers across the globe, therefore literature entails the necessity for researchers to study various factors that could have influence on mental well-being of an individual . The majority of relevant literature focused on mental well-being is from China, Europe, USA and other developed countries, however, fewer studies focused on South Asian region in general, and Pakistan in particular. So, present study fills the gap to unearth the factors of well-being for Pakistani health care workers. Pakistan have so far lost the lives of 58 healthcare providers to COVID-19 in the country and still counting while 240 healthcare providers are hospitalized. So there is intense need to study effect of mental well-being on health care workers as there is a need to save the survivors.

scholarly journals Health Care Workers’ Mental Health During the First Weeks of the SARS-CoV-2 Pandemic in Switzerland – A Cross-Sectional Study

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sonja Weilenmann ◽  
Jutta Ernst ◽  
Heidi Petry ◽  
Monique C. Pfaltz ◽  
Onur Sazpinar ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Network Analysis ◽  
Health Care Workers ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Perceived Support ◽  
Independent Effect ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Care Workers ◽  
Anxiety Depression

AbstractBackgroundThe current SARS-CoV-2 pandemic poses various challenges for health care workers (HCWs), which may impair their mental health. First evidence from China suggests that HCWs are at risk for anxiety and depression. However, generalizability to western countries is limited. The current study aimed at exploring HCWs’ mental health during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic in Switzerland. In addition, we conducted a network analysis to investigate the independent effect of risk and protective factors on HCWs’ mental health and their interplay.MethodsIn an exploratory, cross-sectional, nation-wide online survey, we assessed demographics, work characteristics, COVID-19 exposure, and anxiety, depression, and burnout in 857 physicians and 553 nurses during the pandemic in Switzerland. At the time of data collection, Switzerland had among the highest per capita rate of COVID-19 cases in the world.ResultsOverall symptom levels of anxiety, depression, and burnout were elevated. Women, nurses, frontline staff and HCWs exposed to COVID-19 patients reported more symptoms than their peers. However, these effects were all small and, in the network analysis, most of them did not remain significant after controlling for the other factors. Whereas COVID-19 exposure was only partially associated with mental health, perceived support by the employer independently predicted anxiety and burnout.ConclusionsOur finding that HCWs had elevated levels of anxiety, depression, and burnout underscores the importance to systematically monitor HCWs’ mental health during this ongoing pandemic. Because perceived support and mental health impairments were negatively related, we encourage the implementation of supportive measures for HCWs’ well-being during this crisis.

scholarly journals Advancing Mental Health and Psychological Support for Health Care Workers Using Digital Technologies and Platforms (Preprint)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jiancheng Ye
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Health Care Workers ◽  
Digital Technologies ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Psychological Problems ◽  
Health Issues ◽  
Psychological Issues ◽  
Mental Health Issues ◽  
Care Workers

BACKGROUND The COVID-19 pandemic is a global public health crisis that has not only endangered the lives of patients but also resulted in increased psychological issues among medical professionals, especially frontline health care workers. As the crisis caused by the pandemic shifts from acute to protracted, attention should be paid to the devastating impacts on health care workers’ mental health and social well-being. Digital technologies are being harnessed to support the responses to the pandemic, which provide opportunities to advance mental health and psychological support for health care workers. OBJECTIVE The aim of this study is to develop a framework to describe and organize the psychological and mental health issues that health care workers are facing during the COVID-19 pandemic. Based on the framework, this study also proposes interventions from digital health perspectives that health care workers can leverage during and after the pandemic. METHODS The psychological problems and mental health issues that health care workers have encountered during the COVID-19 pandemic were reviewed and analyzed based on the proposed MEET (Mental Health, Environment, Event, and Technology) framework, which also demonstrated the interactions among mental health, digital interventions, and social support. RESULTS Health care workers are facing increased risk of experiencing mental health issues due to the COVID-19 pandemic, including burnout, fear, worry, distress, pressure, anxiety, and depression. These negative emotional stressors may cause psychological problems for health care workers and affect their physical and mental health. Digital technologies and platforms are playing pivotal roles in mitigating psychological issues and providing effective support. The proposed framework enabled a better understanding of how to mitigate the psychological effects during the pandemic, recover from associated experiences, and provide comprehensive institutional and societal infrastructures for the well-being of health care workers. CONCLUSIONS The COVID-19 pandemic presents unprecedented challenges due to its prolonged uncertainty, immediate threat to patient safety, and evolving professional demands. It is urgent to protect the mental health and strengthen the psychological resilience of health care workers. Given that the pandemic is expected to exist for a long time, caring for mental health has become a “new normal” that needs a strengthened multisector collaboration to facilitate support and reduce health disparities. The proposed MEET framework could provide structured guidelines for further studies on how technology interacts with mental and psychological health for different populations.

scholarly journals Risk Perception and Worries among Health Care Workers in the COVID-19 Pandemic: Findings from an Italian Survey

Healthcare ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 535
Author(s):  
Mariangela Valentina Puci ◽  
Guido Nosari ◽  
Federica Loi ◽  
Giulia Virginia Puci ◽  
Cristina Montomoli ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Risk Perception ◽  
Health Care Providers ◽  
Health Care Workers ◽  
Health Care Professionals ◽  
Sleep Disturbances ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Care Providers ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Care Workers

The ongoing pandemic scenario, due to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), has had a considerable impact on public health all over the world. Italy was one of the most affected countries, as the first European full-blown outbreak occurred there. The exposure of the Italian health care workers to COVID-19 may be an important risk factor for psychological distress. The aim of this cross-sectional study was to describe worries and risk perception of being infected among Italian Health Care Workers (HCWs) during the first wave of the pandemic. In total, 2078 HCWs participated in a web survey (78.8% were females). The highest percentage of respondents were physicians (40.75%) and nurses (32.15%), followed by medical (18.00%), health care support (4.50%) and administrative (4.60%) staff. In a score range between 0 (not worried) and 4 (very worried), our results showed that participants declared that they were worried about the Coronavirus infection with a median score of 3 (IQR 2-3) and for 59.19% the risk perception of being infected was very high. In addition, HCWs reported they suffered from sleep disturbances (63.43%). From the analysis of the psychological aspect, a possible divergence emerged between the perceived need for psychological support (83.85%) and the relative lack of this service among health care providers emerged (9.38%). Our findings highlight the importance of psychological and psychiatric support services not only during the COVID-19 pandemic, but also in other emerging infectious diseases (EIDs) scenarios. These services may be useful for health authorities and policymakers to ensure the psychological well-being of health care professionals and to promote precautionary behaviors among them.

Financial Vulnerability and Worker Well-Being: A Comparison of Long-Term Services and Supports Workers With Other Health Workers

2020 ◽  
pp. 107755872093013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ulrike Muench ◽  
Matthew Jura ◽  
Joanne Spetz ◽  
Rachel Mathison ◽  
Charlene Herrington
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Health Care Workers ◽  
Health Workers ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Financial Vulnerability ◽  
American Time Use Survey ◽  
Care Workers ◽  
Time Use Survey ◽  
Services And Supports

Over 1.5 million new jobs need to be filled by 2026 for medical assistants, nursing aides, and home care aides, many of which will work in the long-term services and supports (LTSS) sector. Using 16 years of data from the American Time Use Survey, we examined the financial vulnerability of high-skill and low-skill LTSS workers in comparison with other health care workers, while providing insight into their well-being by measuring time spent on work and nonwork activities. We found that, regardless of skill status, working in LTSS was associated with lower wages and an increased likelihood of experiencing poverty compared with other health care workers. Results from time diary data indicated that the LTSS workforce spent a greater share of their time working and commuting to work. Low-skill LTSS workers were hardest hit, spending more time on paid and unpaid activities, such as household and child care responsibilities.

scholarly journals The impact of night work on subjective reports of well-being: an exploratory study of health care workers from five nations

2004 ◽  
Vol 38 (suppl) ◽  
pp. 26-31 ◽  
Author(s):  
Donald I Tepas ◽  
Janet L Barnes-Farrell ◽  
Natalia Bobko ◽  
Frida M Fischer ◽  
Irena Iskra-Golec ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Health Care Workers ◽  
Night Shift ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Night Work ◽  
Work Schedule ◽  
Care Workers ◽  
Worker Perceptions ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Subjective Reports

OBJECTIVE: To carry out a survey data collection from health care workers in Brazil, Croatia, Poland, Ukraine and the USA with two primary goals: (1) to provide information about which aspects of well-being are most likely to need attention when shiftwork management solutions are being developed, and (2) to explore whether nations are likely to differ with respect to the impacts of night work on the well-being of workers involved in health care work. METHODS: The respondents from each nation were sorted into night worker and non-night worker groups. Worker perceptions of being physically tired, mentally tired, and tense at the end of the workday were examined. Subjective reports of perceived felt age were also studied. For each of these four dependent variables, an ANCOVA analysis was carried out. Hours worked per week, stability of weekly work schedule, and chronological age were the covariates for these analyses. RESULTS: The results clearly support the general proposal that nations differ significantly in worker perceptions of well-being. In addition, perceptions of physical and mental tiredness at the end of the workday were higher for night workers. For the perception of being physically tired at the end of a workday, the manner and degree to which the night shift impacts the workers varies by nation. CONCLUSIONS: Additional research is needed to determine if the nation and work schedule differences observed are related to differences in job tasks, work schedule structure, off-the-job variables, and/or other worker demographic variables.

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