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Review
. 2022 Mar;93(1):227-247.
doi: 10.1007/s11126-021-09952-5. Epub 2021 Oct 4.

COVID-19 Pandemic Support Programs for Healthcare Workers and Implications for Occupational Mental Health: A Narrative Review

Eden David  1 , Jonathan M DePierro  2 , Deborah B Marin  2 , Vanshdeep Sharma  2 , Dennis S Charney  2 , Craig L Katz  2
Affiliations
Review

COVID-19 Pandemic Support Programs for Healthcare Workers and Implications for Occupational Mental Health: A Narrative Review

Eden David et al. Psychiatr Q. 2022 Mar.

Abstract

This narrative review aims to summarize initiatives developed during the COVID-19 pandemic to support healthcare workers' emotional well-being within the context of a pre-existing framework of occupational mental health guidelines. This occupational mental health framework integrates principles from multiple disciplines to optimize prevention and management of mental health issues among employees. We conducted an online search on Medline/PubMed, Cochrane Library, and Embase for studies that reported on design or execution of medical institution-based interventions, aiming to support healthcare worker mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic. Inclusion criteria was intentionally broad in order to incorporate as many types of interventions at varying stages of development or evaluation. We included 31 studies in our review that reported on newly designed psychological support interventions for healthcare workers (HCW) during the COVID-19 pandemic. We found that most programs commonly supported HCW mental health through offering one or more of the following initiatives: expanded basic need resources/services, additional workplace training programs that bolstered professional preparedness while also indirectly boosting HCW emotional health, and/or expanded psychological support programs, such as peer support programs, psychoeducational or counseling services. Most programs, however, did not consider methods to ensure program longevity or sustainability. The COVID-19 pandemic has underscored the acuity of HCW mental health issues and is likely to leave long lasting mental health strains among HCW. This pandemic is a critical point in time to catalyze much needed progress in reducing stigma and expanding HCW mental health care access.

Keywords: COVID-19; Healthcare worker mental health intervention; Mental health; Psychological support programs.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare the following financial interests/personal relationships which may be considered as potential competing interests. Dr. Dennis Charney is named co-inventor on an issued patent in the United States, and several issued patents outside the U.S. filed by the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai (ISMMS), for the use of ketamine as a therapy for PTSD. This intellectual property has not been licensed. In addition, Dr. Charney is named co-inventor on several issued U.S. patents, and several pending U.S. patent applications, filed by ISMMS for the use of ketamine as a therapy for treatment-resistant depression and suicidal ideation. ISMMS has entered into a licensing agreement with Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and it has and will receive payments from Janssen under the license agreement related to these patents. As a co-inventor, Dr. Charney is entitled to a portion of the payments received by the ISMMS. Since SPRAVATO (esketamine) has received regulatory approval for TRD, ISMMS and Dr. Charney as its employee and a co-inventor, will be entitled to additional payments, under the license agreement. Dr. Charney is named co-inventor on a patent application filed by the ISMMS for the use of intranasally administered neuropeptide Y for the treatment of mood and anxiety disorders. This intellectual property has not been licensed. Dr. Charney is a named co-inventor on several patents filed by ISMMS for a cognitive training intervention to treat depression and related psychiatric disorders. ISMMS has entered into a licensing agreement with Click Therapeutics, Inc., and has and will receive payments related to the use of this cognitive training intervention for the treatment of psychiatric disorders. In accordance with the ISMMS Faculty Handbook, Dr. Charney has received a portion of these payments and is entitled to a portion of any additional payments that the medical school might receive from this license with Click Therapeutics. Dr. Craig L. Katz is a paid consultant with Advanced Recovery Systems and the RANE Crisis Network. Eden David and Drs. Jonathan DePierro, Deborah B. Marin, and Vanshdeep Sharma report no financial relationships with commercial interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
HCW workplace mental health interventions by region
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Integrated approach to HCW occupational mental health (This figure is adapted from Fig. 1 of “Workplace mental health: developing an integrated intervention approach” (in BMC Psychiatry) by LaMontagne AD, Martin A, Page KM, Reavley NJ, Noblet AJ, Milner AJ, et al. and is used under CC BY 2.0 license.)
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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