Interventions to Address Mental Health Issues in Healthcare Workers during Infectious Disease Outbreaks: A Systematic Review
Open accessAbstract
Considering the importance of evidence on interventions to tackle mental health problems in healthcare workers (HCWs) during pandemics, we conducted a systematic review, aiming to identify and summarize the implemented interventions to deal with mental health issues of HCWs during infectious disease outbreaks and report their effectiveness. Web of Science, PubMed, Cochrane, Scopus, CINAHL and PsycInfo electronic databases were searched until October 2nd, 2020. Primary-data articles, describing any implemented interventions and their effectiveness were considered pertinent. Studies were screened according to the inclusion/exclusion criteria and subsequently data extraction was performed. Twenty-four articles, referring to SARS, Ebola, Influenza AH1N1 and COVID-19 were included. Interventions addressing mental health issues in HCWs during pandemics/epidemics were grouped into four categories: 1) informational support (training, guidelines, prevention programs), 2) instrumental support (personal protective equipment, protection protocols); 3) organizational support (manpower allocation, working hours, re-organization of facilities/structures, provision of rest areas); 4) emotional and psychological support (psychoeducation and training, mental health support team, peer-support and counselling, therapy, digital platforms and tele-support). These results might be helpful for researchers, stakeholders, and policymakers to develop evidence-based sustainable interventions and guidelines, aiming to prevent or reduce the immediate and long-term effect of pandemics on mental health status of HCWs.
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In Europe, whole-system changes in healthcare settings are crucial for enhancing staff health and wellbeing; Brand et al. emphasized the need for interventions that understand local staff needs, engage staff at all levels, and ensure strong and visible leadership.
“In Europe, the importance of whole-system changes in healthcare settings has been highlighted as crucial for enhancing staff health and wellbeing. A systematic review by Brand et al. emphasized the need for interventions that understand local staff needs, engage staff at all levels, and ensure strong and visible leadership [32].”
From Mental Health in Healthcare Workers Post-COVID-19: A Latin American Review and Insights into Personalized Management Strategies (2024) · cites this paper as [32]
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Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredPsychoeducational intervention is one of the effective treatments for primary prevention of mental health problems in the working population.
“Psychoeducational intervention is 1 of the effective treatments for primary prevention of mental health problems in the working population.”
A recent systematic review reported that emotional and psychological intervention, including psychoeducation, is an important approach for dealing with mental health issues of health care workers during infectious disease outbreaks, including COVID-19.
“A recent systematic review aiming to identify and summarize interventions for dealing with mental health issues of health care workers during infectious disease outbreaks, including COVID-19, reported that emotional and psychological intervention, including psychoeducation, is an important approach [10]”
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“First, to our knowledge this is the largest study of a mental health and well-being app in a HCW population, and is one of the few studies to evaluate interventions (digital or otherwise) supporting HCWs. 5 Second, the sample offered an external generalisable HCW population who could be offered and use such an interve…”
BackgroundInfluentialDominguez-Rodriguez, A., Martínez-Arriaga, R. J., Herdoiza-Arroyo, P. E., Bautista-Valerio, E., de la Rosa-Gómez, A., Castellanos Vargas, R. O., Lacomba-Trejo, L., Mateu-Mollá, J., Lupercio Ramírez, M. D. J., Figueroa González, J. A., et al. (2022) · International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health · doi:10.3390/ijerph191912749 · Cited by 18 · see citing works
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“A systematic review by Brand et al. emphasized the need for interventions that understand local staff needs, engage staff at all levels, and ensure strong and visible leadership [32].”
BackgroundHinzmann, D., Forster, A., Koll-Krüsmann, M., Schießl, A., Schneider, F., Sigl-Erkel, T., Igl, A., & Heininger, S. K. (2022) · International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health · doi:10.3390/ijerph192315453 · Cited by 11 · see citing works
Imamura, K., Sasaki, N., Sekiya, Y., Watanabe, K., Sakuraya, A., Matsuyama, Y., Nishi, D., & Kawakami, N. (2022) · JMIR Formative Research · doi:10.2196/33883 · Cited by 6 · see citing works
“…health care workers during infectious disease outbreaks, including COVID-19, reported that emotional and psychological intervention, including psychoeducation, is an important approach [10], especially since the 2000s, online-delivered psychoeducational interventions have received much attention.”
- Authors
- Zaçe, D., Hoxhaj, I., Orfino, A., Viteritti, A. M., Janiri, L., & Di Pietro, M. L.
- Affiliations
- Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore (IT)
- Agostino Gemelli University Polyclinic (IT)
- Corresponding author
- Zaçe, D.
- Venue
- Journal of Psychiatric Research
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2021-04
- Volume
- 136
- Pages
- 319-333
- ISSN
- 0022-3956 (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC7880838
- OpenAlex
- W3130812253
- Cited by
- 105
- References
- 55
- Citations by year
- 2026: 4 · 2025: 9 · 2024: 19 · 2023: 31 · 2022: 29 · 2021: 13
- FWCI
- 3.06
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- Licence
- Locations
- Journal of Psychiatric Research (publishedVersion)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › COVID-19 and Mental Health
- Health Sciences › Health Professions › General Health Professions › Healthcare professionals’ stress and burnout
- Health Sciences › Health Professions › Occupational Therapy › Occupational Health and Burnout
- Keywords
- mental health of healthcare workers, infectious disease outbreaks, pandemic, psychological intervention, SARS, Ebola, COVID-19 pandemic, personal protective equipment, organizational support, psychological support, peer support, psychoeducation, occupational stress
- MeSH terms
- COVID-19, Cross-Sectional Studies, Disease Outbreaks, Health Personnel, Humans, Infections, Influenza, Human, Mental Health, Cohort Studies, Hemorrhagic Fever, Ebola, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome
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