Improving community well-being through collaborative initiatives at a medical library

Background: In an increasingly digital age, the role of the library is changing to better serve its community. The authors’ library serves health care professionals who experience high levels of stress due to everyday demands of work or study, which can have negative impacts on physical and mental health. Our library is committed to serving the needs of our community by identifying opportunities to improve their well-being.Case Presentation: Librarians at the Harvey Cushing/John Hay Whitney Medical Library at Yale University developed a group mindfulness program and a space for self-defined personal care to assist health care professionals in alleviating stress. Surveys were used to evaluate the mindfulness program and self-care space.Conclusions: We successfully implemented two collaborative wellness and self-care initiatives with students and other stakeholders, as demonstrated by program attendance, diverse space use, and positive survey responses for both initiatives. While these endeavors do not replace the need to challenge structural problems at the root of stress in the health care professions, this case report offers a blueprint for other medical libraries to support the well-being of their communities.

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Promoting the health and well being of older carers: A proactive strategy

Australian Health Review ◽

10.1071/ah030078 ◽

2003 ◽

Vol 26 (2) ◽

pp. 78 ◽

Cited By ~ 11

Author(s):

Bev O'Connell ◽

Susan Bailey ◽

Arlene Walker

Keyword(s):

Health Care ◽

Health Care Professionals ◽

Well Being ◽

Care Recipient ◽

Health Care Needs ◽

Physical And Mental Health ◽

Care Needs ◽

Health Related ◽

Mental And Physical Health ◽

Health And Well Being

Research has indicated that carers are concerned about their ageing status, their deteriorating health and their abilityto continue to care for their dependants. Given that the health care system will become increasingly reliant on carersthe health care needs of carers should be a concern for all health care professionals. This paper describes the first stageof a project designed to enhance older carers health promotion knowledge and skills and improve their healthpromoting behaviors. This stage investigated the mental and physical health status of older carers. It also soughtinformation on older carers' levels of participation in health related and social activities and identification of barriersto participation in these types of activities. The results highlighted that carers responding to the survey experiencedcompromised physical and mental health. Many carers reported being unable to participate in social and health-typeactivities as they were unable to leave the care recipient. Of note, is that carers identified their own mental fragilityand felt they needed further emotional support.

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Self-care Strategies to Combat Burnout Among Pediatric Critical Care Nurses and Physicians

Critical Care Nurse ◽

10.4037/ccn2020621 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 40 (2) ◽

pp. 44-53 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Holly Wei ◽

Hadley Kifner ◽

Melanie E. Dawes ◽

Trent L. Wei ◽

Jenny M. Boyd

Keyword(s):

Health Care ◽

Critical Care ◽

Health Care Professionals ◽

Self Care ◽

Well Being ◽

The United States ◽

Professional Burnout ◽

Pediatric Critical Care ◽

Qualitative Descriptive ◽

Nurses And Physicians

Background Professional burnout is a widespread phenomenon in health care. The health of patients and organizations begins with the well-being of health care professionals. Identifying and understanding self-care strategies that professionals perceive to be helpful is crucial to combat burnout. Objective To determine perceptions of self-care strategies to combat professional burnout among nurses and physicians in pediatric critical care settings. Methods This was a qualitative descriptive study with a phenomenological overtone. The study was conducted in a 20-bed pediatric intensive care unit and an 8-bed intermediate care unit of a children’s hospital in the United States. Information flyers and emails were used to introduce the study. A combination of convenience and purposive sampling methods was used to recruit participants who were full-time nurses and physicians in the 2 units. Information saturation was used to regulate sample sizes, resulting in 20 participants. Data were collected through a onetime face-to-face interview with each participant. A qualitative descriptive approach was used to analyze the data. The first author was the primary coder and discussed the codes with the coauthors throughout the coding process. Results Six major self-care strategies were identified: finding meaning in work, connecting with an energy source, nurturing interpersonal connections, developing an attitude of positivity, performing emotional hygiene, and recognizing one’s uniqueness and contributions at work. Conclusions Developing effective self-care strategies helps promote health care professionals’ physical and psychological well-being and reduce burnout. It is vital for health care professionals to care for themselves so that they can best care for others.

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Teaching Interspiritual Dialogue to Health Care Professionals

10.1093/oso/9780190677565.003.0022 ◽

2017 ◽

Author(s):

Kelly R. Arora

Keyword(s):

Health Care ◽

Doctoral Students ◽

Health Care Professionals ◽

Well Being ◽

Course Structure ◽

Beliefs And Practices ◽

Pedagogical Choices ◽

Dimensions Of Teaching ◽

Contemporary Context ◽

Made In

Interspiritual conversations are becoming more common in health care settings as providers recognize that patients’ diverse spiritual/religious values, beliefs, and practices may influence their health care decision-making and general well-being. This essay explores the practical dimensions of teaching health care professionals how to use an interspiritual dialogue approach grounded in values and particularism through a course entitled “Faith, Spirituality and Culture in Health Care,” which was designed for and taught to doctoral students at a Denver, Colorado, School of Pharmacy. After considering the contemporary context for teaching interspiritual dialogue to healthcare professionals, the essay reflects upon and relates the pedagogical choices made in designing and teaching the course, as well as the course structure, outline, objectives, and schedule.

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Depression and Suicidality in Gay Men: Implications for Health Care Providers

American Journal of Men s Health ◽

10.1177/1557988316685492 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 11 (4) ◽

pp. 910-919 ◽

Cited By ~ 20

Author(s):

Carrie Lee ◽

John L. Oliffe ◽

Mary T. Kelly ◽

Olivier Ferlatte

Keyword(s):

Health Care ◽

Gay Men ◽

Health Care Providers ◽

Help Seeking ◽

Adult Population ◽

Well Being ◽

Sexual Practices ◽

Care Providers ◽

Physical And Mental Health ◽

Prevalence Of Depression

Gay men are a subgroup vulnerable to depression and suicidality. The prevalence of depression among gay men is three times higher than the general adult population. Because depression is a known risk factor for suicide, gay men are also at high risk for suicidality. Despite the high prevalence of depression and suicidality, health researchers and health care providers have tended to focus on sexual health issues, most often human immunodeficiency virus in gay men. Related to this, gay men’s health has often been defined by sexual practices, and poorly understood are the intersections of gay men’s physical and mental health with social determinants of health including ethnicity, locale, education level, and socioeconomic status. In the current article summated is literature addressing risk factors for depression and suicidality among gay men including family acceptance of their sexual identities, social cohesion and belonging, internalized stigma, and victimization. Barriers to gay men’s help seeking are also discussed in detailing how health care providers might advance the well-being of this underserved subgroup by effectively addressing depression and suicidality.

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Caring for Gravely Ill Children

PEDIATRICS ◽

10.1542/peds.94.4.433 ◽

1994 ◽

Vol 94 (4) ◽

pp. 433-439 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Alan R. Fleischman ◽

Kathleen Nolan ◽

Nancy N. Dubler ◽

Michael F. Epstein ◽

Mary Ann Gerben ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Health Care ◽

Decision Making ◽

Health Care Professionals ◽

Treatment Plan ◽

Ethics Committees ◽

Well Being ◽

Pediatric Health Care ◽

Spiritual Well Being ◽

Primary Focus

Background. Much has been written about the care of the hopelessly ill adult, but there is little guidance for pediatric health care professionals in the management of children who are critically or terminally ill. Methods. Through a 3-day meeting in Tarrytown, NY, attended by a group of pediatricians and others directly involved in these issues, a principled approach was developed for the treatment of, and health care decision-making for, children who are gravely ill. Results. The group agreed that the needs and interests of the child must be the central focus of any treatment plan and that the child should be involved to as great extent possible, consistent with developmental maturity, in the decision-making process. Quality of future life should be viewed as being relevant in all decisions. Parents are believed to be the natural guardians of children and ought to have great latitude in making decisions for them. However, parental discretion is not absolute and professionals must maintain an independent obligation to protect the child's interests. Conclusions. Decision-making should be collaborative among patient, parents, and professionals. When conflict arises, consultation and ethics committees may assist in resolution. When cure or restoration of function is no longer possible, or reasonable, promotion of comfort becomes the primary goal of management. Optimal use of pain medication and compassionate concern for the physical, psychological, and spiritual well-being of the child and family should be the primary focus of the professionals caring for the dying child.

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Health-care Workforce Training to Effectively Support Family Caregivers of Seniors in Care

Canadian Geriatrics Journal ◽

10.5770/cgj.23.384 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 23 (2) ◽

pp. 160-171

Author(s):

Rachel Fisher ◽

Jasneet Parmar ◽

Wendy Duggleby ◽

Peter George J. Tian ◽

Wonita Janzen ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Health Care ◽

Family Caregivers ◽

Health Care Professionals ◽

Health Care Services ◽

Well Being ◽

Workforce Training ◽

Community Dwelling ◽

Canadian Health Care System ◽

Care Services ◽

Qualitative Thematic Analysis

Introduction Family caregivers (FCGs) play an integral, yet often invisible, role in the Canadian health-care system. As the population ages, their presence will become even more essential as they help balance demands on the system and enable community dwelling seniors to remain so for as long as possible. To preserve their own well-being and capacity to provide ongoing care, FCGs require support to the meet the challenges of their daily caregiving responsibilities. Supporting FCGs results in better care provision to community-dwelling seniors receiving health-care services, as well as enhancing the quality of life for FCGs. Although FCGs rely upon health-care professionals (HCPs) to provide them with support and services, there is a paucity of research pertaining to the type of health workforce training (HWFT) that HCPs should receive to address FCG needs. Programs that train HCPs to engage with, empower, and support FCGs are required. Objective To describe and discuss key findings of a caregiver symposium focused on determining components of HWFT that might better enable HCPs to support FCGs. Methods A one-day symposium was held on February 22, 2018 in Edmonton, Alberta, to gather the perspectives of FCGs, HCPs, and stakeholders. Attendees participated in a series of working groups to discuss barriers, facilitators, and recommendations related to HWFT. Proceedings and working group discussions were transcribed, and a qualitative thematic analysis was conducted to identify key themes. Results Participants identified the following topic areas as being essential to training HCPs in the provision of support for FCGs: understanding the FCG role, communicating with FCGs, partnering with FCGs, fostering FCG resilience, navigating healthcare systems and accessing resources, and enhancing the culture and context of care. Conclusions FCGs require more support than is currently being provided by HCPs. Training programs need to specifically address topics identified by participants. These findings will be used to develop HWFT for HCPs.

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Efficacy of a brief online mindfulness-based intervention on the psychological well-being of health care professionals and trainees during the COVID-19 pandemic: A mixed method design

Health SA Gesondheid ◽

10.4102/hsag.v26i0.1682 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 26 ◽

Author(s):

Iram Osman ◽

Shaista Hamid ◽

Veena S. Singaram

Keyword(s):

South Africa ◽

Health Care ◽

Mixed Method ◽

Health Professionals ◽

Health Care Professionals ◽

Well Being ◽

Personal Accomplishment ◽

Intervention Analysis ◽

Health Crisis ◽

The Impact

Background: During the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, health professionals were pushed to the front line of a global health crisis unprepared and resource constrained, which affected their mental well-being.Aim: This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of a brief online mindfulness-based intervention (MBI) on stress and burnout for health professionals training and working in South Africa during the COVID-19 crisis.Setting: The context of the study is the overburdened, under-resourced health care system in South Africa during a global pandemic.Methods: A mixed method framework was adopted for this study. The quantitative data was analysed using descriptive analysis and the participants’ qualitative experiences were interpreted using interpretative phenomenological analysis.Results: Forty-seven participants took part in this study. The study found a statistically significant (p 0.05) reduction in stress levels and emotional exhaustion as well as an increase in mindful awareness and feelings of personal accomplishment after the intervention. The participants’ shared experiences were analysed in two parts. The pre-intervention analysis presented with central themes of loss of control and a sense of powerlessness because of COVID-19. The post-intervention analysis comprised themes of a sense of acquired control and empowerment through increased mindfulness.Conclusions: The study found that a brief online MBI can be associated with reduced levels of stress and burnout as well as an increased sense of control and empowerment, felt both personally and professionally, during a global crisis.Contribution: The impact of an online MBI for health care professionals amidst a pandemic has not been previously documented.

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“I’m Just Forgetting and I Don’t Know Why”: Exploring How People Living With HIV-Associated Neurocognitive Disorder View, Manage, and Obtain Support for Their Cognitive Difficulties

Qualitative Health Research ◽

10.1177/1049732318761364 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 28 (6) ◽

pp. 859-872 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Alexander R. Terpstra ◽

Catherine Worthington ◽

Francisco Ibáñez-Carrasco ◽

Kelly K. O’Brien ◽

Aiko Yamamoto ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Health Care ◽

Lived Experience ◽

Health Care Professionals ◽

Management Strategies ◽

Well Being ◽

People Living With Hiv ◽

Neurocognitive Disorder ◽

Cognitive Difficulties ◽

Hiv Associated Neurocognitive Disorder ◽

Living With Hiv

HIV-associated neurocognitive disorder (HAND) is common, but the lived experience of HAND is not well-understood. In this descriptive qualitative study, we explored how adults with HAND view, manage, and obtain support for cognitive difficulties. We interviewed 25 participants (20% female; median age = 51 years) who were diagnosed with HAND using neuropsychological assessment and a clinical interview. Semistructured interviews, co-developed with community members living with HIV, focused on how cognitive difficulties manifested and progressed, impacted well-being, and were discussed with others. We analyzed interview transcripts using a team-based, thematic approach. Participants described concentration, memory, and multitasking difficulties that fluctuated over time, as well as potential risk factors, management strategies, and psychosocial consequences. They reported they seldom discussed cognitive impairment with health care professionals, and that receiving a HAND diagnosis was validating, informative, yet somewhat disconcerting. Conversations between health care professionals and people living with HIV about HAND may provide opportunities for education, assessment, and support.

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Getting Senior Leadership on Board

Mayo Clinic Strategies To Reduce Burnout ◽

10.1093/med/9780190848965.003.0008 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 61-72

Author(s):

Stephen J. Swensen ◽

Tait D. Shanafelt

Keyword(s):

Health Care ◽

Health Care Professionals ◽

Business Strategy ◽

Well Being ◽

Business Case ◽

Organizational Environment ◽

Senior Leadership ◽

Senior Leaders

Optimizing the organizational environment to promote esprit de corps can’t happen without senior leadership prioritizing the issues and dedicating time, attention, and other resources to address them. For meaningful and sustainable results, the commitment by leadership must be authentic. In other words, leaders must embrace this quest because they genuinely care, not just because they believe it is a good business strategy. There are four triggers for senior leaders to become committed to the well-being of the health care professionals in their organization: the moral/ethical case, the business case, the regulatory case, or the tragic case.

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Using the Job Demands–Resources Model to Evaluate Work-Related Outcomes Among Norwegian Health Care Workers

SAGE Open ◽

10.1177/2158244020947436 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 10 (3) ◽

pp. 215824402094743

Author(s):

Sabine Kaiser ◽

Joshua Patras ◽

Frode Adolfsen ◽

Astrid M. Richardsen ◽

Monica Martinussen

Keyword(s):

Job Satisfaction ◽

Health Care ◽

Service Quality ◽

Health Care Professionals ◽

Turnover Intention ◽

Structural Equation ◽

Job Demands ◽

Well Being ◽

Job Resources ◽

Work Related

The job demands-resources (JD-R) model was used to evaluate work-related outcomes among 489 health care professionals working in public health services for children and their families in Norway. In accordance with the JD-R model, the relationship of job demands and job resources with different outcomes (turnover intention, job satisfaction, and service quality) should be mediated through burnout and engagement. The results of the multilevel structural equation model analysis indicated good model fit: The χ2/degrees of freedom ratio was 1.54, the root mean square error of approximation was .033, and the Tucker Lewis index and comparative fit index were both .92. Job demands were positively associated with burnout; job resources were positively related to engagement and negatively related to burnout. Burnout was positively related to turnover intention and negatively related to job satisfaction and service quality. Engagement was inversely related to the outcome variables. Both job demands and job resources are important predictors of employee well-being and organizational outcomes.

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