Cited by 302Healthcare professionals’ stress and burnoutWorkplace Health and Well-beingOccupational Health and Burnout

Workplace-based organizational interventions promoting mental health and happiness among healthcare workers: a realist review

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Gray, Patricia, Senabe, Sipho, Naicker, Nisha, Kgalamono, Spo, Yassi, Annalee, Spiegel, Jerry M.·2019·International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health

Abstract

Mental illness, deemed globally to account for 32% of years lived with a disability, generates significant impacts on workplaces. In particular, healthcare workers experience high rates of mental ill health such as burnout, stress, and depression due to workplace conditions including excessive workloads, workplace violence and bullying, which also produces negative effects on patients as well as on the happiness and wellbeing of those who remain at work. This review was undertaken to synthesize the evidence on workplace-based interventions at the organizational level promoting mental health and wellbeing among healthcare workers, to identify what has been receiving attention in this area and why, especially considering how such positive effects are produced. A search of three premier health-related databases identified 1290 articles that discussed healthcare workers, workplace interventions, and mental health. Following further examination, 46 articles were ultimately selected as meeting the criteria specifying interventions at the organizational level and combined with similar studies included in a relevant Cochrane review. The 60 chosen articles were then analyzed following a realist framework analyzing context, mechanism, and outcome. Most of the studies included in the realist review were conducted in high-income countries, and the types of organizational-level interventions studied included skills and knowledge development, leadership development, communication and team building, stress management as well as workload and time management. Common themes from the realist review highlight the importance of employee engagement in the intervention development and implementation process. The literature review also supports the recognized need for more research on mental health and happiness in low- and middle-income countries, and for studies evaluating the longer-term effects of workplace mental health promotion.

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Crossref · 10.3390/ijerph16224396

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Research works printed but not linked: 2

  1. [35]de Neve J.-E. Chapter 5: Work and Well-being: A Global Perspective Global Happiness Policy Report Sustainable Development Solutions Network New York, NY, USA 2018
  2. [118]OECD Guidelines on Measuring Subjective Well-Being OECD Publishing Paris, France 2013 24600748

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Authors
Gray, P., Senabe, S., Naicker, N., Kgalamono, S., Yassi, A., & Spiegel, J. M.
Affiliations
  • University of British Columbia (CA)
  • Department of Health (ZA)
  • National Health Laboratory Service (ZA)
Corresponding author
Spiegel, Jerry M.
Venue
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
Publisher
MDPI AG
Published
2019-11-11
Volume
16
Issue
22
Pages
4396
ISSN
1660-4601 (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W2985491257
Cited by
295
References
121
Citations by year
2026: 33 · 2025: 49 · 2024: 63 · 2023: 57 · 2022: 53 · 2021: 30 · 2020: 10
FWCI
4.26
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • RePEc: Research Papers in Economics (submittedVersion)
  • cIRcle (University of British Columbia) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion)
  • Open Collections
Funders
Canadian Institutes of Health Research (ROH-115212)
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Health Professions › General Health Professions › Healthcare professionals’ stress and burnout
  • Health Sciences › Health Professions › General Health Professions › Workplace Health and Well-being
  • Health Sciences › Health Professions › Occupational Therapy › Occupational Health and Burnout
Keywords
workplace interventions, organizational interventions, mental health promotion, happiness, well-being, healthcare workers, burnout, occupational stress, workload, workplace harassment, workplace violence, leadership development, stress management, employee engagement, team building, low- and middle-income countries
MeSH terms
Burnout, Professional, Happiness, Health Personnel, Health Promotion, Humans, Leadership, Mental Health, Workload, Workplace, Bullying, Workplace Violence

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