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      Mitigating the Psychological Impact of COVID-19 on Healthcare Workers: A Digital Learning Package

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          Abstract

          The coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19) will undoubtedly have psychological impacts for healthcare workers, which could be sustained; frontline workers will be particularly at risk. Actions are needed to mitigate the impacts of COVID-19 on mental health by protecting and promoting the psychological wellbeing of healthcare workers during and after the outbreak. We developed and evaluated a digital learning package using Agile methodology within the first three weeks of UK outbreak. This e-package includes evidence-based guidance, support and signposting relating to psychological wellbeing for all UK healthcare employees. A three-step rapid development process included public involvement activities (PPIs) (STEP 1), content and technical development with iterative peer review (STEP 2), and delivery and evaluation (STEP 3). The package outlines the actions that team leaders can take to provide psychologically safe spaces for staff, together with guidance on communication and reducing social stigma, peer and family support, signposting others through psychological first aid (PFA), self-care strategies (e.g., rest, work breaks, sleep, shift work, fatigue, healthy lifestyle behaviours), and managing emotions (e.g., moral injury, coping, guilt, grief, fear, anxiety, depression, preventing burnout and psychological trauma). The e-package includes advice from experts in mental wellbeing as well as those with direct pandemic experiences from the frontline, as well as signposting to public mental health guidance. Rapid delivery in STEP 3 was achieved via direct emails through professional networks and social media. Evaluation included assessment of fidelity and implementation qualities. Essential content was identified through PPIs ( n = 97) and peer review ( n = 10) in STEPS 1 and 2. The most important messages to convey were deemed to be normalisation of psychological responses during a crisis, and encouragement of self-care and help-seeking behaviour. Within 7 days of completion, the package had been accessed 17,633 times, and healthcare providers had confirmed immediate adoption within their health and wellbeing provisions. Evaluation (STEP 3, n = 55) indicated high user satisfaction with content, usability and utility. Assessment of implementation qualities indicated that the package was perceived to be usable, practical, low cost and low burden. Our digital support package on ‘psychological wellbeing for healthcare workers’ is free to use, has been positively evaluated and was highly accessed within one week of release. It is available here: Supplementary Materials. This package was deemed to be appropriate, meaningful and useful for the needs of UK healthcare workers. We recommend provision of this e-package to healthcare workers alongside wider strategies to support their psychological wellbeing during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.

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          Most cited references19

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          Factors Associated With Mental Health Outcomes Among Health Care Workers Exposed to Coronavirus Disease 2019

          Key Points Question What factors are associated with mental health outcomes among health care workers in China who are treating patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)? Findings In this cross-sectional study of 1257 health care workers in 34 hospitals equipped with fever clinics or wards for patients with COVID-19 in multiple regions of China, a considerable proportion of health care workers reported experiencing symptoms of depression, anxiety, insomnia, and distress, especially women, nurses, those in Wuhan, and front-line health care workers directly engaged in diagnosing, treating, or providing nursing care to patients with suspected or confirmed COVID-19. Meaning These findings suggest that, among Chinese health care workers exposed to COVID-19, women, nurses, those in Wuhan, and front-line health care workers have a high risk of developing unfavorable mental health outcomes and may need psychological support or interventions.
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            Managing mental health challenges faced by healthcare workers during covid-19 pandemic

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              Understanding and Addressing Sources of Anxiety Among Health Care Professionals During the COVID-19 Pandemic

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                Author and article information

                Journal
                Int J Environ Res Public Health
                Int J Environ Res Public Health
                ijerph
                International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
                MDPI
                1661-7827
                1660-4601
                26 April 2020
                May 2020
                : 17
                : 9
                : 2997
                Affiliations
                [1 ]School of Health Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2HA, UK
                [2 ]National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Nottingham Biomedical Research Centre, Queen’s Medical Centre, Nottingham NG7 2UH, UK
                [3 ]Leicester Medical School, University of Leicester, Lancaster Rd, Leicester LE1 7HA, UK; feb7@ 123456student.le.ac.uk
                [4 ]REMEDI Emergency Department, Royal Derby Hospital, Uttoxeter Rd, Derby DE22 3NE, UK; graham.johnson4@ 123456nhs.net (G.J.); andrew.tabner@ 123456nhs.net (A.T.)
                Author notes
                Author information
                https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3080-2306
                https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5145-6855
                Article
                ijerph-17-02997
                10.3390/ijerph17092997
                7246821
                32357424
                6b071c45-89b4-4c16-9a52-f7a6a9c4ef1d
                © 2020 by the authors.

                Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license ( http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).

                History
                : 17 April 2020
                : 24 April 2020
                Categories
                Article

                Public health
                covid-19,coronavirus,pandemic,wellbeing,mental health,digital,e-learning
                Public health
                covid-19, coronavirus, pandemic, wellbeing, mental health, digital, e-learning

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